Michael Whatley (born 1968 or 1969) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as chair of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

since March 2024. Before this, he was chair of the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019. History Nineteenth century Although Republicans first nominated a candidate for President o ...

for five years, the last year of which he also served as the RNC's

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

Early life

Whatley is from

Watauga County, North Carolina Watauga County ( )
from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

. He graduated from the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in history and from Wake Forest University with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in religion, dissertation on: "Cardinal Richelieu: Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state.” In 1997, he earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree and a master's degree in theology from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. Whatley began working in

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politics when he volunteered on the 1984 reelection campaign of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

while he was a sophomore at Watauga High School.

Career

In 2000, Whatley was a member of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

's team pursuing the Florida recount. During Bush's presidency, Whatley served in the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

as deputy assistant secretary.Washington lawyer Dole's chief of staff
''The News and Observer''. January 15, 2004. Retrieved August 9, 2024. In 2004, he became

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, replacing Frank Hill. In 2007, Whatley became a partner at lobbying firm HBW Resources, and in 2008 he became executive vice president for the Consumer Energy Alliance; he held the position until 2019.Morrill, Jim; Pogarcic, Anna (June 10, 2019)
NC's new GOP chair Whatley calls for a 'reset'
''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

''. p.2. Retrieved August 9, 2024. In 2016, Whatley helped Republican presidential nominee

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

campaign and organize rallies in North Carolina. In June 2019, the

selected Whatley to succeed Robin Hayes as their chair. Whatley was closely involved in President

's efforts to overturn the result of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

, including participating in the December 2020 phone call on which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes he needed to win the state. Following the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, Whatley refused to blame Trump, saying that only those who participated in the riots bear responsibility. In February 2021, Whatley said, "We certainly saw evidence of voting irregularities, of election counting irregularities in a number of places around the country", and that the reason Trump won North Carolina was his state party's vigilance against Democrats' attempts to cheat. Also in February 2021, the state party voted unanimously to censure Senator

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United ...

for voting to convict President Trump during his second impeachment. The

appointed Whatley as its general counsel in February 2023. In February 2024, Donald Trump endorsed Whatley to replace Ronna McDaniel as chair of the RNC. In March 2024, Whatley was elected as the new chair of the RNC, along with

Lara Trump Lara Lea Trump ( Yunaska; born October 12, 1982) is an American former television producer who is married to Eric Trump, third child of Donald Trump. She was the producer and host of Trump Productions' '' Real News Update'' and a producer of ' ...

as his co-chair. Per the North Carolina party's 2022 plan of organization, its vice chair (Susan Mills) served as state chair until a successor was elected.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Whatley, Michael 1960s births 21st-century American lawyers Living people North Carolina Republicans Notre Dame Law School alumni People from Gastonia, North Carolina People from Watauga County, North Carolina Political chiefs of staff Republican National Committee chairs State political party chairs of North Carolina University of North Carolina at Charlotte alumni Wake Forest University alumni