Michael Whatley vows to ‘put dangerous criminals behind bars’ as U.S. Senate race gets underway

By: Brandon Kingdollar

Outlets: North Carolina Newsline

Published: March 5, 2026

Words: 694

Last Updated: 6 days, 4 hours ago

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Flanked by law enforcement, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michael Whatley kicked off his general election campaign pledging to end “soft-on-crime policies” if elected.

Speaking at the Charlotte lodge of the state Fraternal Order of Police on Wednesday, he accepted the endorsement of the North Carolina Troopers Association and took aim at his rival, former Gov. Roy Cooper, for policies that Whatley said made North Carolina less safe.

“We need better. We need to back the …

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