Cooper, Whatley Set for North Carolina Duel as Lara Trump Passes

Both national party organizations have preferred candidates and may avoid fractious primaries in a blockbuster North Carolina Senate race that will shape the legislative and political environment in the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, who formerly headed the North Carolina GOP, is expected to run for Senate with the White House’s blessing after Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, took herself out of contention Thursday for the seat of retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R).

President Trump’s sway in Republican primaries means Whatley, a close Trump ally with ties to donors and activists, ...