Senate Candidate Whatley Under Scrutiny for Sex Offender’s Party Roles

U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley faces growing questions about his relationship with a convicted sex offender who held leadership positions within the North Carolina Republican Party during Whatley’s tenure as state party chairman.

Whatley, now running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis, is embroiled in controversy following reports that Harvey L. West Jr., who was convicted of sexual offenses involving minors, served in party leadership roles while Whatley led the state GOP from 2019 to 2024.

The race between Whatley and Democratic nominee former Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests. Political analysts consider North Carolina a prime opportunity for Democrats to gain ground as they attempt to flip control of the chamber, which would require defending their incumbents while gaining three GOP-held seats.

West, 55, pleaded guilty in 2000 to five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child, including with a person younger than 16. After serving six years in prison, he was released in 2006 and required to register as a sex offender. West has previously claimed he didn’t commit the crimes but accepted a plea deal to avoid risking decades of imprisonment.

This isn’t the first time West’s role in the party has raised concerns. In 2012, he resigned as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention after The News & Observer reported his criminal history.

The current controversy emerged in March when the Asheville Watchdog, a nonprofit news organization, reported that West served on two committees during Whatley’s leadership: as chairman of the state party’s 1st Congressional District committee and as a member of the Plan of Organization committee. District committees help coordinate events, recruit volunteers, and organize get-out-the-vote efforts in their regions, while the Plan of Organization committee establishes and interprets party rules.

West resigned from the 1st Congressional District committee in mid-March, shortly after the Watchdog article was published. “I got tired of always being the focus of the negativity,” West told PolitiFact, explaining that he was weary of being used “as a weapon against somebody else.”

The exact nature of Whatley’s role in West’s appointments remains disputed. West and North Carolina GOP spokesman Matt Mercer both contend that Whatley did not appoint West as the district committee chairman. According to their account, West was vice chairman in 2019, then elevated to chairman by the district’s executive committee after the previous chair resigned. West was subsequently re-elected by committee members.

However, West confirmed to PolitiFact that Whatley did appoint him to the Plan of Organization Committee in 2021 and 2024. The state GOP did not dispute this claim when asked, with spokesman Mercer noting that West “had been asked to serve on the Plan of Organization Committee prior to Michael Whatley’s election as Chairman” and “continued serving as he did prior to 2019.”

West presented a complicated picture of his relationship with Whatley, claiming the former state party chairman “did not like me” initially but later came to appreciate his contributions. “When I first became the district chair, Whatley was not supportive of that. He didn’t want me there,” West said. “But, as time went on and I worked and I showed my worth… evidently, he saw my worth and saw my intentions and saw my heart.”

Former state GOP chairmen Robin Hayes and Claude Pope confirmed they were aware of West’s criminal record during their tenures. Hayes, who served from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2019, said West “did a great job” and was “always very conscientious.” Pope, who led the party from 2013 to 2015, described the controversy as “such old news that I don’t know if it’s even relevant anymore.”

West defended his involvement with the party, saying his years of volunteer work qualified him for the positions. “People make mistakes, they serve their time, and they come back,” he said. “Isn’t that the whole point of rehabilitation, so they can go back into the community and serve?”

The North Carolina GOP has responded to the scrutiny by pointing to Democratic candidate Roy Cooper’s attendance at a 2018 event for the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, where he was photographed with Chad Turner, the organization’s president and a registered sex offender. Turner was convicted in 2000 of committing a lewd act with a 15-year-old in South Carolina.

Cooper’s campaign dismissed the comparison as a false equivalency and criticized Republicans’ ongoing relationship with West as “disgusting.” Whatley’s campaign has declined multiple requests for comment on the matter.