Poll time: Brown, Whatley perform about the same against Cooper

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It seems the establishment’s strategy of pretending that (1) there will be no GOP primary for NC’s US Senate seat in 2026 and (2) that Don Brown doesn’t exist is collapsing spectacularly.

Harper Polling – a firm with a national reputation – has partnered with something called “Carolina Journal” to offer us a glimpse at how the 2026 Senate race stands.  The’ve been polling a general election matchup between Michael Whatley and Roy Cooper.  This month, however, they’ve decided to poll matchups between Cooper and TWO GOP candidates – Don Brown and Michael Whatley.

The most current poll – taken 11/9 thru 11/10 — has Roy Cooper defeating Whatley 47-39. That’s an eight point margin.  In September, this same poll showed Whatley losing by only 4 points.  Cooper has doubled his lead over Whatley in two months.  

Since July, Whatley has seen a net loss of five points in the polls. Cooper has seen a net gain of 3 points since July. 

It’s surprising to see Harper even broach the subject of Don Brown aka “the other guy in the race.”

For months, we’ve been peppered with lies from the political establishment and the legacy drive-by media about how Mike Whatley is best-positioned to win the Senate seat.  Thanks to his DC pals, he’s loaded down with cash.  But he’s clearly not impressing the voters in The Tar Heel State.

Establishment forces have been working overtime to blackball Don Brown with the press and in the fundraising game.  But Brown — using a shoe-leather, press-the-flesh old-school style — has hung in there.  Despite all the financial and political advantages Whatley has over Brown, he and Brown are faring pretty equally against Cooper.  

By the way – Whatley’s campaign is being overseen by the same guy who oversaw the spectacular collapse of Pat McCrory in the 2016 gubernatorial race. (The winner in that 2016 election? Roy Cooper.)

Perhaps the pretend-theres-no-primary strategy was a big mistake.  Primaries should be looked at like scrimmage games for athletic teams.  They are a great opportunity to work out kinks, test out ideas, and ensure you have the best and most talented out on the field.

Invest in Mike Whatley with caution.  This polling demonstrates that he is not yet the best candidate to beat Roy Cooper.  Whatley has yet to take a lead in the race.  In fact, the polling shows him going backwards against Cooper. 

If we continue to allow the Raleigh and DC politicos to peddle Whatley the way they have been, we run the risk of losing a very winnable race for a seat the NCGOP has held 47 of the last 53 years.  The NCGOP tried the whole pretend-theres-no-primary thing in the 2024 gubernatorial campaign, and look where that left us. 

Perhaps this polling info is enough incentive for a stronger – yet unknown – candidate to jump into the fray.

I remember the fairy tale about how “the emperor has no clothes.”   Are we now being warned that neither does “The Chairman”?