Americans for Prosperity Action, the political arm of the powerful conservative Koch network, has placed a 7-figure ad buy for former RNC Chair Michael Whatley’s Senate campaign in North Carolina, banking an early investment in a must-win seat for the GOP in what’s expected to be one of the most expensive races in the country.
The total spend in the Tarheel State will amount to over $1 million and will run on cable, marking the organization’s first TV ad buy of the 2026 midterms cycle. The 30-second spot, shared first with POLITICO, hits on perennial Koch priorities, casting Whatley as the candidate who will “stop wasteful spending, drive down prices and cut taxes.” The package of ads will also run on internet connected TV services and Meta platforms.
Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) retirement announcement last year following a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump opened a top-priority race for both parties in the swing state. Democrats haven’t won a Senate race or carried the state at the presidential level since 2008 — but Democrats have been inching closer to cinching a statewide federal win in past cycles after posting two consecutive Democrats to the governor’s mansion and maintaining a longtime hold on the attorney general’s office in Raleigh.
Whatley, the Trump-endorsed frontrunner in the GOP primary, raised $3.8 million in 2025’s final FEC filing period, which amounted to about half of the $7 million haul posted by former Gov. Roy Cooper, his likely Democratic challenger. AFP Action’s support will likely amount to just a drop in the bucket, though, as operatives in both parties have estimated that spending in the race could reach $650 million by Election Day.
The ad campaign is coupled with a grassroots door-knocking effort helmed by AFP Action, which began in North Carolina earlier this year. Whatley is set to join one of those outreach efforts himself in the Charlotte area later this month.
The significant spend in North Carolina comes as the group has made similar, albeit smaller, 6-figure digital investments in the open Senate races in Michigan and New Hampshire for Mike Rogers and John Sununu, respectively — a sign of where they might invest more down the line.
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