Sean Hannity Says Ex-RNC Chair's Campaign Not 'Run Particularly Effectively'

Sean Hannity told listeners on Thursday that Republican Michael Whatley's North Carolina Senate campaign has not been run well. With 12 days left before the midterms, the conservative host said he is "worried" about one of the Senate's most closely watched open seats.

The criticism, from one of the most prominent voices in conservative media, was aimed at a Republican Senate candidate. It also lands as Republicans try to defend a Senate majority that may come down to a handful of races.

Responding to a North Carolina caller on The Sean Hannity Show, Hannity said Whatley's campaign had missed its chance to go after Democrat Roy Cooper, the state's former governor.

"I'm not putting a lot of hope in it because of the way things have not been, I don't think that campaign has been run particularly effectively, but with that said, Roy Cooper's a bad choice for North Carolina," Hannity said.

Hannity Faults Whatley Campaign's Ads

Hannity's complaint was about the campaign's advertising. He said Cooper's clemency record should be "front and center" in the minds of North Carolina voters.

"I'm not sure why the Whatley campaign hasn't been more effective in these ads, 'cause they could be running one after another," he said.

Later in the call he was blunter. "It's not in my, oh, I feel confident category at all in North Carolina, I'm worried about it," Hannity said.

The remarks follow Hannity's admission earlier this week that he has no real feel for the midterms. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has also pointed to North Carolina as his party's most vulnerable seat.

What North Carolina Senate Polls Show

Hannity said "the polling would show you that Mike Whatley has, you know, is trailing significantly to Roy Cooper." On that point, the polls back him up. Cooper leads Whatley 52.1 percent to 41.1 percent, an 11-point margin, in PolitiKool's polling average for the race.

Individual polls this month tell the same story:

• An Elon University Poll taken from September 29 to October 8 had Cooper at 52 percent and Whatley at 39 percent among likely voters.
• A SurveyUSA poll for WRAL and WSOC, released October 13, had Cooper ahead 54 percent to 40 percent.
• A Carolina Journal poll released Thursday showed Cooper ahead 49.4 percent to 39.1 percent. That is down from a 15.1-point lead in September.

Whatley led the Republican National Committee before entering the race for the seat Republican Senator Thom Tillis is giving up. WLOS reported when he entered the race that he was expected to receive Trump's endorsement.

North Carolina is one of several contests that will decide control of the chamber, which PolitiKool's Senate forecast currently rates a toss-up.

Cooper's Death Row Record

Hannity said Cooper has "taken off death row" people convicted of "horrific crimes," including some prosecuted in Winston-Salem, and that "nobody's laid a finger on him about it." He also compared the issue to the Willie Horton ad.

That ad was a 1988 attack on Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, produced by a political action committee rather than the Bush campaign. It centered on Willie Horton, a Massachusetts prisoner serving a life sentence for murder who escaped during a 1986 furlough and went on to commit robbery, rape and assault in Maryland. The ad has long been criticized for stoking racial fear.

Hannity gave no specifics. On December 31, 2024, his last day as governor, Cooper commuted 15 death sentences to life without parole. The 15 commutations cut North Carolina's death row by more than 10 percent, HPPR reported.

Despite Hannity's on-air suggestion that some had been released, none of the 15 was freed. All of them will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

"After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison," Cooper said at the time.

What Happens Next

Election Day is November 3. Pollsters still see room for movement. Elon's poll found Whatley does slightly better among undecided voters when they are pushed to choose, and Cooper's lead narrowed to 11 points in that version.

Hannity ended the call without predicting an outcome. "I'm hoping and praying that the people of North Carolina, you know, are waking up between now and election day," he said.