Michael Whatley
Whatley with US Energy Secretary Rick Perry in 2019
Chair of the Republican National Committee
Assumed office
March 8, 2024
Preceded byRonna McDaniel
Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party
In office
June 8, 2019 – March 8, 2024
Preceded byAubrey Woodard (acting)
Succeeded bySusan Mills (acting)
Personal details
Born1968 or 1969 (age 54–55)
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of North Carolina, Charlotte (BA)
Wake Forest University (MA)
University of Notre Dame (MA, JD)

Michael Whatley (born 1968 or 1969)[1] is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina who has served as chair of the Republican National Committee since March 8, 2024. Beforehand, he was chair of the North Carolina Republican Party for five years, the last year of which he also served as the RNC's general counsel.

Early life

Whatley is from Watauga County, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor's degree in history and from Wake Forest University with a master's degree in religion. In 1997, he earned a Juris Doctor degree and a master's degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame.[2]

Whatley began working in Republican Party politics when he volunteered on the 1984 reelection campaign of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms while he was a sophomore at Watauga High School.[3]

Career

In 2000, Whatley was a member of George W. Bush's team pursuing the Florida recount. He served in the United States Department of Energy during the presidency of George W. Bush. Whatley was chief of staff for Elizabeth Dole when she served in the U.S. Senate.[4] He was an executive vice president for the Consumer Energy Alliance from 2008 to 2019, while he was a partner at lobbying firm HBW Resources.[5]

In June 2019, the North Carolina Republican Party selected Whatley to succeed Robin Hayes as their chair.[6][7] Whatley was closely involved in President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, including participating in the December 2020 phone call on which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes he needed to win the state.[8]

Following the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, Whatley refused to place blame with Trump, saying that only those who participated in the riots bear responsibility.[9][10] In February 2021, Whatley said "we certainly saw evidence of voting irregularities, of election counting irregularities in a number of places around the country", and that the reason Trump won North Carolina was his state party's vigilance against Democrats' attempts to cheat.[11] Also in February 2021, the state party voted unanimously to censure Senator Richard Burr for voting to convict President Trump during his second impeachment.[12]

The Republican National Committee appointed Whatley as its general counsel in February 2023.[13] In February 2024, Donald Trump endorsed Whatley to replace Ronna McDaniel as chair of the RNC.[14] On March 8, 2024, Whatley was elected as the new chair of the RNC, along with Lara Trump as his co-chair.[15][16] Per the North Carolina party's 2022 plan of organization, its vice chair (Susan Mills) served as state chair until a successor was elected.[17][18]

References

  1. ^ Coleman, Dashiell (June 14, 2019). "Gastonia's Whatley says GOP will focus on 2020". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Poteat, Bill. "Gastonia's GOP State Chairman Michael Whatley excited as party builds toward 2022 election". Gaston Gazette.
  3. ^ Moss, Bill (July 27, 2019). "Henderson County Four Seasons Politics: Republican chair declares North Carolina key to Trump re-election – Hendersonville Lightning". Hendersonville Lightning. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Coleman, Dashiell (June 7, 2019). "Gaston Republican in running for state GOP role". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Cama, Timothy (March 8, 2024). "Republicans tap former oil lobbyist for national chair". E&E News. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "North Carolina Republicans pick Whatley as state party head". AP News. June 9, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Morrill, Jim; Pogarcic, Anna (June 9, 2019). "Michael Whatley elected new chair of NC Republican Party, calls for a 'reset'". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Roth, Zachary (February 13, 2024). "Trump's pick for RNC chief worked with top election denier's group". Colorado Newsline. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Greenwood, Max (February 16, 2021). "North Carolina GOP chair: Fault lies with rioters, not Trump". The Hill. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew; Steck, Em (February 9, 2024). "Likely frontrunner for RNC chair parroted Trump's election lies after 2020 and has suggested Jan 6. rioters weren't 'Republican voters'". Politics. CNN. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Joseph, Cameron (May 19, 2021). "Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists Are Taking Over State Republican Parties". Vice. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "North Carolina GOP censures Sen. Burr for impeachment vote". NBC News. Raleigh, North Carolina. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Whatley tapped for national RNC leadership role". Carolina Journal -. February 28, 2023.
  14. ^ Ibssa, Lalee (February 12, 2024). "Trump endorses Michael Whatley as RNC chair, Lara Trump as co-chair". ABC News. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Samuels, Brett (March 8, 2024). "RNC elects Michael Whatley, Lara Trump as new leaders". The Hill. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Trump's grip on RNC tightens as Michael Whatley and Lara Trump become new leaders". The Independent. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "2022 Plan of Organization" (PDF). North Carolina Republican Party. March 5, 2023. p. 19. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "2023 North Carolina Republican Party State Convention". Polk County Republican Party, North Carolina. June 14, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024. Susan Mills will continue to serve as Vice Chair.
Party political offices Preceded byAubrey WoodardActing Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party 2019–2024 Succeeded bySusan MillsActing Preceded byRonna McDaniel Chair of the Republican National Committee 2024–present Incumbent
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