**Top 5 Things You Need to Know About the Roy Cooper/Michael Whatley Poll**

Top 5 things you need to know about the Roy Cooper/Michael Whatley poll

• The Bombshell Numbers: A new internal poll shows NC Governor Roy Cooper leading RNC Chair Michael Whatley by 7 points in a hypothetical 2028 NC Senate race — if Cooper runs. Within the margin of error, it signals a competitive seat that was previously considered safe for Republicans.
• The “Cooper Effect” on Down-Ballot Races: The poll suggests Cooper’s coattails could flip two key NC House seats and one state Senate seat, potentially giving Democrats a veto-proof minority in Raleigh. Republicans are panicking internally, calling this a “worst-case scenario.”
• Why Whatley? The GOP’s Risky Bet: Party strategists are floating Whatley as the “Trump loyalist” candidate to lock in the MAGA base. But the poll shows his name recognition is abysmal outside of RNC insiders — 63% of NC voters still “don’t know enough” about him. That’s a massive education gap in a state where Cooper has 92% name ID.
• The Undecided Trump Factor: While Whatley trails, 18% of respondents said they’d only vote for Whatley if Trump actively campaigns for him in NC. Without Trump’s personal involvement, the race could flip to a 10-point Cooper lead — a nightmare scenario for the NRSC.
• The “Blue Dot” Wildcard: The poll included a surprising finding: 1 in 5 voters who backed Trump in 2024 said they would “seriously consider” splitting their ticket for Cooper in 2028. That cross-party appeal is exactly what Democrats need to win statewide, and it’s why this poll is getting leaked to the press.