About this episode

Kim Strassel discusses the crucial Senate race in North Carolina for the 2026 midterm elections.

Primary season has come for the 2026 midterm election, and with razor-thin margins in both chambers of Congress, so-called purple states have become crucial battlegrounds for control of the Senate. In North Carolina, Republican Michael Whatley has secured his party’s nomination and will face off against former Democratic governor Roy Cooper to replace the retiring Thom Tillis. On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel breaks down the race with Whatley, including why Cooper’s record on crime is an issue, how tariffs are playing with voters, and why the whole race may come down to, “the economy, economy, economy.”

People in this episode

Host: Kim Strassel

Guest: Michael Whatley

Topics covered

• 2026 midterm election
• North Carolina Senate race
• Republican nomination
• Democratic governor
• economic issues
• voter concerns

Keywords

• North Carolina
• Senate race
• Michael Whatley
• Roy Cooper
• economy
• crime
• tariffs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: All Things, The Wall Street Journal

Places: North Carolina

More episodes of All Things with Kim Strassel

• NRSC Chair Tim Scott Handicaps the Senate Midterm Map · June 9, 2026 · 25 min
• Mike Pence's Mission to Rekindle the Conservative Conscience · June 2, 2026 · 24 min
• The Left's Exercise In Political Self-Deception · May 26, 2026 · 30 min
• The Imprisonment of Jimmy Lai · May 12, 2026 · 27 min

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