NC Voices: “Between his years lobbying on behalf of utility companies, his substantial Duke Energy holdings, and his refusal to take a position on the company’s latest rate hike proposal, questions remain about whose interests he would prioritize in Washington.”

As thousands of North Carolina families worry “they won’t be able to pay their power bills” if Duke Energy increases rates, DC insider and former Duke Energy Lobbyist Michael Whatley is in the spotlight for refusing to condemn their proposed rate hikes, despite being directly asked multiple times. 

Whatley has up to $445,000 invested in Duke Energy and would stand to see “boost[ed] profits” from a rate hike. His refusal to denounce the rate hike comes after North Carolinians “call[ed] into question Whatley’s ties to Duke Energy” and wrote a letter urging him to sell his Duke stock and condemn the company’s rate increase.

Recent reporting also exposed Whatley for “spen[ding] more than a decade lobbying for utility companies, including Duke Energy, and arguing in favor of rate increases.”

Más información:

NC Voices: Despite Rising Costs on North Carolinians, Michael Whatley Refuses to Denounce Duke Energy Rate Hike

June 9, 2026

• As public hearings continue on Duke Energy’s proposal, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley has declined to take a position on whether the rate hike should be approved, despite owning between $163,000 and $445,000 worth of Duke Energy stock. 

• Questions about Whatley’s ties to the utility company go beyond his investments. Recent reporting found that he spent more than a decade lobbying for utility companies, including Duke Energy, and arguing in favor of rate increases.

• The debate comes as consumer advocates warn that Duke Energy’s proposal would further increase costs for households already stretched thin by rising utility bills. 

• As North Carolinians weigh who should represent them in the U.S. Senate, Duke Energy’s latest rate hike request is drawing renewed attention to Whatley’s relationship with the utility giant. Between his years lobbying on behalf of utility companies, his substantial Duke Energy holdings, and his refusal to take a position on the company’s latest rate hike proposal, questions remain about whose interests he would prioritize in Washington.

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