*Just what we need. In crunch-time. John Thune.*
I shared this invite with a friend of mine who plays in campaign politics in
DC and NC. Here was their take:
“I don’t think Helen Keller was ever as tone-deaf as this. The electorate, especially the GOP base, has a lack of enthusiasm that is off the charts. And they’re bringing in the guy who has done more to thwart the MAGA agenda than just about anyone in DC. I’ve seen people flip out at the very sight of Thune on their TV screens. And they’re bringing him in to help this near-death senate campaign?”
Of course, if you’re rolling with host Bill Belk and his friends, you’re not likely Joe Average. (You likely don’t even own a red MAGA hat. Or know anyone who does.)
The event is in Charlotte. And there is a lot of disposable income there ready to be dumped into campaign coffers.
This news comes as Catawba College releases a new poll showing Roy Cooper with a TWELVE POINT lead over Mike Whatley.
This is the fourth poll — out of the last SEVEN – showing Whatley down to Cooper by double-digits. This race — according to RealClearPolitics — has been polled 34 times since July 2025. Roy Cooper has held a lead over Mike Whatley in 33 of those 34 surveys. (The one outlier was a TIE – back in July 2025.)
Pollsters tend to sharpen their pencils and fine-tune their numbers in the last month or so before an election. It’s a point of pride in that community to produce a final poll as close to the actual election results as possible. Pollsters – just like you and me – like to make money and get more work.
Early voting gets started in about two weeks.
If you’re going to change up, do it now. To us, it appears the mission is now DAMAGE CONTROL. Close the gap. Something to fire up the MAGA folks. Try to keep this godawful, sliding-down-the-hill disaster of a Senate campaign from damaging or taking down any of the down-ballot races.
McRory in charge of this. About as tone deaf as he was.
NC GOP really doesn’t get the landscape. Look back at who won state-wide, Jesse, Lauch, John East from the past and you see the trend. CONSERVATIVES !!
run mods, lib lights, non-North Carolinians, Know what you get, DEFEAT.
John Thune….really. Was Liz Cheney not available????
I say this as someone who wants Republicans to succeed: we need to take independent voters seriously. We cannot assume they will support us simply because we believe the other side is worse. It’s not that we don’t have a base candidate that only the “true” GOP want. If the “true” GOP were big they could win a primary.
When families are struggling with grocery bills, housing costs, and gas around $4 a gallon, they want answers. They want to know what we are doing to make everyday life more affordable. Calling their concerns misguided will not earn their votes. Most of you don’t want to hear this.
I believe we entered a war we did not need to enter. Others may disagree, and we should be able to have that conversation respectfully. But we also need to understand why voters are worried about the costs, the consequences, and what comes next.
The same goes for tariffs. Whatever the intended benefits, we need to listen when families and businesses worry about higher prices. People judge economic policy by what they can afford.
Many loyal Republican supporters may not want to hear this, but enthusiasm within our own party does not tell us how independent voters feel. Their support has to be earned through practical solutions, credible leadership, and a willingness to acknowledge when things are not going well.
This is going to be a brutal election for the GOP. We cannot keep blaming voters for telling us what matters to them. Hope many of you are right. This is going to be a beat down in November.
SPOT ON!
Neither party does one thing or cares on dang about young Americans, young families or moderate-income families. Each are mightily struggling from every example you gave. Prices soared and have yet to decrease and, in most cases, continue to increase. And these are goods and services most require; necessities. Food, gas, insur, utilities.
The war and tariffs have done nothing but harmed greatly. Those tariffs were passed right on to the consumers.
Trump is tone deaf. So are his kids. So are his advisors and so is the NC GOP and Congress.
Mid-terms will tell you where indy’s and young families are relative to how well they are doing.
THIS is Whatley’s appeal for me to vote for him. If by some miracle he were to serve as Senator from North Carolina, then how much MORE alienated were I be from him then. Absolutely pathetic. Thanks for nothing NCGOPe.
This group always blames the NCGOPe. How about getting a candidate that can win? That may hurt some feelings, but pick a winner.
Trumps approval is 26% right now, so we like him, but many people do not right now.
Who is “This group”? lol Personally, I voted for Don Brown.
I don’t know who John Thune appeals to, but that is certainly NOT conservatives. Thune has used his position just as his mentor Mitch McConnell did. We need a senator who will vote to replace McConnell as GOP leader with someone who actually supports the Republican conservative agenda. This is really tone deaf, but who knows. it may raise him some money in a place like Charlotte..
I can think of a lot of senators who would actually be appealing – John Kennedy, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rick Scott,, etc.
It should be remembered by every conservative that Ted Budd owns his share of responsibility for John Thune. We could have had Rick Scott for majority leader.