Are lefties starting to feel sorry for Mike Whatley?

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The current state of our US Senate race kind of reminds me of the last minutes of a sporting event that has turned into a massacre.  One team tends to let up and go a little easier – maybe, clear the bench or take a snap then a knee — so it doesn’t end up looking as much like the vicious beatdown it was. 

The Republican campaign for US Senate has been shut out in every public poll released since their man got into the race in July.  By this time in the 2024 governor race, there were five polls that found Mark Robinson leading Josh Stein.  (Two showed a tie.)

Mike Whatley, by comparison, had one tie when he got into the race in July.  (There was also one poll showing him losing by 3 with an MOE of 4.2.)

One of the interesting trends I’ve noticed in the 2026 race is that polls done by liberal groups have been the most gentle with Whatley.  Carolina Journal /John Locke has been releasing polls with Whatley down by double-digits.

But look at Public Policy Polling AND Carolina Forward. PPP’s March poll was the one showing a Cooper lead that was within the margin of error.  

Carolina Forward released a poll earlier this month giving Cooper a 49-42 lead. In January, they released a poll showing Cooper leading 47-42.  Last September, they had Cooper 48-41.

In 2024, Stein didn’t show a double-digit lead against Robinson until August. In 2026, Cooper had his first double-digit leads IN JANUARY.

Just think — the real campaign spending hasn’t even gotten started.

We’re approaching the summer vacation months where the average voter is really not paying attention to politics.  It’s said that campaigns really get started at the end of Labor Day weekend.

That gives the campaigns two solid months – September and October – to make their cases.  If Team Whatley can’t get these margins a little closer, things are going to be a lot easier than expected for Team Cooper.

For what it’s worth, keep an eye on the Emerson poll. They have been pretty doggone close in North Carolina’s big races in 2020 and 2024.  They last polled the 2026 Senate race in NC in July 2025:  Cooper 47-41.