‘Runaway favorite’: CNN’s Harry Enten teases which Trump could dominate NC Senate GOP primary

CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten shared statistics Monday on “Anderson Cooper 360,” saying that if President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, decided to run in North Carolina’s GOP Senate primary, she could take the lead over her potential competitors.

Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis announced Sunday that he would not run for reelection, notably after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger if he voted against the president’s “big, beautiful bill.” While discussing possible replacements for the 2026 race, Enten said that, according to the Kalshi betting market, Lara Trump holds 48% support in the GOP primary, leading over potential candidate and former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

“Yeah, if we take a look at the betting markets at this particular point, she’s the runaway favorite to be the GOP nominee for Senate from North Carolina, 48% chance of being that nominee. That is way up from where we were just yesterday. Mark Robinson, who’s in second, is only at a 4% chance to be the nominee. If Lara Trump decides to get in the race, that 48% will jump very quickly,” Enten said.

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“I’m not quite sure it might be above 90% by the time that she gets in. Of course, winning the nomination is one thing. Winning the general election [is] something else. If you look [at] who the Democrats might put up, it might be former Governor Roy Cooper,” Enten added. “And Roy Cooper was a fairly popular fellow from North Carolina. You look at his final approval rating, it was north of 50% in the state of North Carolina. So she would have an easy run in the primary if she decides to run, but she’d have a real fight on her hands in the general election.”

In March 2024, Lara Trump officially became the Republican National Committee’s co-chair, serving during President Trump’s 2024 campaign. By December, she announced on X that she would step down, as the president endorsed RNC Chairman Michael Whatley for another term.

At the time, early reports speculated Lara Trump might replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who left his Florida Senate seat to join the Trump administration. While announcing she wouldn’t pursue the bid, she said she would still welcome a return to public service.

In February, Fox News announced it would bump Brian Kilmeade’s Saturday show, handing the slot to Lara Trump.

While Lara Trump is among the early rumored candidates to replace Tillis, other potential GOP candidates could include Whatley and U.S. Reps. Greg Murphy, Tim Moore, and Brad Knott, according to The News & Observer.

Lara Trump did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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