Republicans Face New Pressure in North Carolina and Georgia Senate Contests
Goldlaner.com – Republican leaders are confronting difficult choices as the Senate campaign enters its final stretch, with growing concern that two races once viewed as central to preserving the party’s majority may be moving out of reach.
In North Carolina, Michael Whatley is seeking the open seat held by Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring. In Georgia, Rep. Mike Collins is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Both Republican candidates remain behind in polling, and doubts about their prospects are prompting an increasingly blunt internal discussion about where campaign money can make the greatest difference.
The stakes are particularly high in North Carolina. President Donald Trump carried the state three times, making a Republican loss there especially consequential for a party that expects to compete strongly in the state. A Democratic win would represent one of the four Senate seat gains Democrats need to reclaim control of the chamber.
Spending Decisions Move to the Forefront
Sen. Thom Tillis has argued that party strategists should make practical decisions based on where their investments are most likely to produce victories.
“You spend the money where we get Republicans elected,” Tillis said. “I want them to do that now. I mean you don’t spend the money just because you want to help somebody.”
Veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove offered an even harsher assessment at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday.
“We’re not going to win either one,” he said.
That pessimism has been reinforced by recent spending decisions. Old North Action, a Republican super PAC, reduced its North Carolina advertising reservations by roughly one-third last week. The move was among the most visible indications that outside groups may be reassessing the race.
Whatley has maintained that he is confident his campaign will have adequate financial support. Yet some Republican operatives in the state see a narrow route to victory against former Gov. Roy Cooper.
“I don’t know what the path is for Michael. I mean, I’ll just say that. Unless Cooper just completely stumbles,” a North Carolina Republican strategist said.
Georgia Campaign Seeks More Help
Collins’ team has also signaled that it needs greater backing from party organizations and allied groups. A campaign memo dated Monday argued that about one in 10 voters remain available to win over.
The campaign identified many of those voters as people who supported Trump in 2024 while currently favoring Rick Jackson in the closer gubernatorial contest against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms. Collins’ advisers contend that these voters have not settled on their Senate choice because they do not yet hold a firm view of him.
“They should be voting for Mike Collins, and they are not yet, mainly because they do not have a firm opinion of him,” the memo says.
The argument reflects a familiar late-campaign calculation: sustained advertising can raise a candidate’s profile and potentially move voters who already lean toward the same party. But that strategy becomes harder when party committees must defend several seats at once.
Republicans are already directing substantial money toward other contests, including more than $100 million in Texas. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has described the national environment as challenging for Republicans across the map.
“We are erecting a big wall around all of our candidates,” Thune said. “There are headwinds we are facing in all the races around the country.”
Party Leaders Publicly Maintain Their Commitment
Despite the concern, national Republican leaders continue to demonstrate support for both campaigns. Thune joined Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at a Thursday night fundraiser for Collins in Atlanta. Trump and Vice President JD Vance also recently visited North Carolina, making the state part of their first round of campaign stops after the GOP midterm convention.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has rejected the idea that Georgia and North Carolina are being set aside. Its spokesman, Nick Puglia, criticized Ossoff and Cooper and said Republicans would keep working to highlight what he called their far-left records.
NRSC Chairman Sen. Tim Scott dismissed claims that the committee was pulling back from either race.
“Hogwash!” Scott wrote on X.
Scott made the remark after a private meeting with Senate Republicans focused on the electoral map. An NRSC spokesperson said he spoke favorably about both Collins and Whatley, arguing that each candidate was narrowing the polling gap.
Limited Time, Competing Priorities
Other Republicans are less certain that a major late investment can reverse the trajectory of the two campaigns. Texas Sen. John Cornyn questioned whether party resources should continue flowing to races that may no longer offer a realistic path to victory.
“Here we are, what, 40 days out? And so I don’t think there is a lot that can be done,” Cornyn said. “I think it is going to be a matter of where the resources should be deployed.”
Cornyn recently hosted a fundraiser with former President George W. Bush for Republican Senate candidates from Alaska, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire and Minnesota. Collins and Whatley were not included among the attendees.
The debate illustrates the difficult balance facing Senate Republicans: defend seats and nominees where the party can still compete, while avoiding spending decisions that leave other vulnerable campaigns exposed. With only weeks remaining, North Carolina and Georgia have become a test of whether party unity, candidate messaging and late financial support can alter races that many Republicans increasingly fear are slipping away.
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