Primary season has come for the 2026 midterm election, and with razor-thin margins in both chambers of Congress, so-called purple states have become crucial battlegrounds for control of the Senate. In North Carolina, Republican Michael Whatley has secured his party’s nomination and will face off against former Democratic governor Roy Cooper to replace the retiring Thom Tillis. On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel breaks down the race with Whatley, including why Cooper’s record on crime is an issue, how tariffs are playing with voters, and why the whole race may come down to, “the economy, economy, economy.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices