WUNC: “While [Whatley] says he ‘grew up’ in Blowing Rock, he was born in Michigan and moved there partway through high school.”
In the wake of NBC News exposing DC insider Michael Whatley for frequently lying to North Carolinians by claiming that he “grew up” in Blowing Rock, Whatley is in the spotlight and getting called out by his own party for being a “liar.”
Michele Woodhouse, the former chairwoman of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District: “Plain and simply, Whatley is a liar.”
Margaret Ackiss, a member of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District executive committee: “The repercussions of half truths.”
Más información:
Matt Dixon | June 25th, 2026
- An NBC News review found that Whatley has used some variation of that line at least 15 times since he announced his Senate run in July.
- But records show that Whatley spent most of his childhood away from North Carolina. He was born in Michigan and stayed there until his early high school years. He then lived in Blowing Rock for roughly three years before going elsewhere in the state for college.
- It’s a different sentiment than Whatley uses regularly on the political stump.
- Jason Husser, a political science professor at Elon University in North Carolina, said the issue could impact voters’ perception of Whatley’s authenticity.
WUNC’s Politics Newsletter: Lots of bills, few actual new laws
Colin Campbell | June 26, 2026
- NBC News had an interesting story this week casting doubt on U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley’s North Carolina roots. While he says he “grew up” in Blowing Rock, he was born in Michigan and moved there partway through high school.
- And is Whatley a Michigander or a full-fledged North Carolinian?
Lisa Kashinsky, Andrew Howard | June 26, 2026
- WHATLEY’S ROOTS — Former RNC chair and North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley has repeatedly called himself a “a son of western North Carolina,” but NBC’s Matt Dixon writes that Whatley “spent most of his childhood away from North Carolina” and didn’t move there until high school.
Daily Haymaker: Hey, everybody! Meet Mike from Michigan.
Brant Clifton | June 26, 2026
- You ought to be able to trust – at least – someone’s bio. Where they’re from. Where they graduated from. Their wife’s name. How many kids they have.
- It appears Whatley may have been trying to be too cute with the details of his bio, as well.
- Blowing Rock is a fantastic place. If I had roots there, I’d be boasting about them to anyone who would listen. From the description he gave Mark Levin, it’s pretty clear that Whatley has not been to Blowing Rock in a looooooooong time.
Alternet: MAGA candidate downplaying big part of his history in make-or-break Senate race
Alex Henderson | June 25, 2026
- Dixon, however, reports that according to records, Whatley “spent most of his childhood away from North Carolina.”
- Dixon notes that Whatley’s campaign website, as of June 25, “says he was ‘raised in Blowing Rock’ and makes no mention of his Michigan roots.”
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