GOP Senate Hopefuls in Georgia, North Carolina Walk a Tightrope on Trump

Republican Senate candidates in Georgia and North Carolina are confronting a difficult balancing act less than six weeks before the November midterm elections, as they try to stay aligned with President Donald Trump while addressing voter anxiety over the cost of living and their own weakening poll numbers.

In North Carolina, Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, is running for an open Senate seat against Democratic former Governor Roy Cooper. A YouGov poll released on Wednesday showed Cooper leading Whatley by 11 percentage points among registered voters — a result that came despite recent campaign stops in the state by both Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Georgia presents a similar challenge. Representative Mike Collins, a strong Trump ally and a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is challenging Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. The same YouGov survey put Ossoff ahead of Collins by 51% to 41%. Ossoff has increasingly centered his campaign on Trump and the cost-of-living pressures facing voters. Collins secured the Republican nomination after a contentious primary in which Governor Brian Kemp declined to run for the seat, amid differences with Trump.

Both candidates have found it difficult to create political distance from the president, even as their political identities remain closely tied to him.

The pressure on Whatley and Collins comes as the Senate map expands for Republicans. Democrats need to gain four seats to secure a majority, and Democratic opportunities have widened amid voter concerns over the cost of living, Trump's approval ratings and the Iran war.

Several Republican candidates elsewhere have sought to distinguish themselves from Trump. Iowa's Ashley Hinson and Michigan's Mike Rogers have called for an end to the Iran war, while Hinson has differed with Trump on trade policy. Republicans in New Hampshire and Maine have also criticized Trump's tariff policies.

Meanwhile, other Republican-held states including Ohio, Alaska, Kansas and Texas are drawing greater attention as the campaign enters its final weeks.