Trump Seeks to Rebuild Support Among 2024 Voters in North Carolina

By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 16, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump is returning to North Carolina on Wednesday to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, as Republicans work to consolidate support ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.

The visit is Trump’s first major campaign appearance since the Republican Party’s midterm convention and forms part of his effort to make the congressional elections a referendum on his presidency. Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman, is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

Donald Trump campaigns in North Carolina ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Focus on voters who backed Trump in 2024

North Carolina was one of the closely contested states in the 2024 presidential election, when Trump won the state. The current Senate campaign is putting particular attention on voters who supported Trump in that election but have not necessarily committed to the Republican Senate nominee.

An August Elon University poll cited by Reuters found that 72% of North Carolina voters who said they voted for Trump in 2024 supported Whatley, while 10% supported Democratic candidate Roy Cooper and 14% remained undecided. Among voters who said they backed Kamala Harris in 2024, 93% supported Cooper.

The figures illustrate a distinction between presidential and down-ballot voting: some people who supported Trump in 2024 are not automatically supporting the Republican Senate candidate in 2026.

Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley is seeking to consolidate support among voters who backed Trump in 2024.

Focus on voters who backed Trump in 2024

North Carolina was one of the closely contested states in the 2024 presidential election, when Trump won the state. The current Senate campaign is putting particular attention on voters who supported Trump in that election but have not necessarily committed to the Republican Senate nominee.

An August Elon University poll cited by Reuters found that 72% of North Carolina voters who said they voted for Trump in 2024 supported Whatley, while 10% supported Democratic candidate Roy Cooper and 14% remained undecided. Among voters who said they backed Kamala Harris in 2024, 93% supported Cooper.

The figures illustrate a distinction between presidential and down-ballot voting: some people who supported Trump in 2024 are not automatically supporting the Republican Senate candidate in 2026.

North Carolina’s large unaffiliated electorate remains a major focus of the 2026 Senate campaign.

Affordability emerges as a central issue

Economic conditions are another major theme of the campaign.

Reuters reported that concerns about affordability are affecting Trump’s support among some moderate voters, while gasoline prices have become a prominent issue. The national average price for regular gasoline was reported at $4.33 per gallon on September 15, while diesel reached $6.27, according to AAA figures cited by Reuters.

Trump has continued to emphasize issues including crime and immigration, while the Whatley campaign has sought to connect those issues to the broader Republican agenda.

North Carolina’s unaffiliated voters

Unaffiliated voters are particularly important in North Carolina. Reuters reported that they make up approximately 40% of the state’s registered electorate, making them the largest registration category.

The state’s political balance means campaigns from both parties are seeking support beyond their traditional bases. The discussion has consequently focused on issues such as household costs, the economy and the performance of the Trump administration.

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections reported that more than 5.7 million people voted in the state’s 2024 general election, underscoring the size of the electorate involved in the state’s political contests.

Polling snapshot

A recent Elon University poll cited by Reuters put Cooper at 49% and Whatley at 38% among likely voters. The same survey found that 54% of North Carolina respondents disapproved of Trump’s job performance, while 31% approved. These are measurements from a particular survey and date, rather than forecasts of the eventual election result.

Nationally, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted during the previous week put Trump’s approval rating at 35%, compared with 33% in the preceding survey. The poll also found Democrats ahead of Republicans 44% to 37% on its generic congressional ballot question.

Trump makes the midterms personal

Trump has urged Republicans to approach the 2026 elections as a judgment on his administration, telling Republicans at last week’s convention to “pretend that I’m on the ballot,” despite not being a candidate in the November elections.

His North Carolina appearance reflects that strategy, with Trump using his national profile to campaign for candidates running in competitive states.

Democrats, meanwhile, are also seeking to make the Senate contest about Trump’s record and policies. The competing approaches mean the North Carolina race is being fought not only around the individual candidates but also around voters’ assessments of the administration’s economic and domestic policies.

What to watch

The North Carolina campaign is likely to continue focusing on several groups of voters: Republicans who supported Trump in 2024, unaffiliated voters, and voters whose concerns are centered on inflation, fuel prices and household affordability.

The state’s official election calendar lists October 9, 2026, as the voter-registration deadline and October 15–31 as the in-person early-voting period for the November general election.

For the Republican campaign, Trump’s appearance provides an opportunity to mobilize his existing supporters while addressing concerns among voters who supported him previously but remain undecided about the Senate contest.