Senate candidate’s Michigan upbringing omitted from campaign biography

The Republican candidate for Senate in North Carolina has repeatedly described himself as having grown up in the state, according to an NBC News review of his public statements. The candidate said he was “a son of western North Carolina” while standing with President Donald Trump after Hurricane Helene in 2024.

He has used some variation of the line “I grew up in Blowing Rock” at least 15 times since announcing his Senate run in July.

Background on residency claims Records show the candidate was born in Michigan on Oct. 7, 1968. His picture appears in the 1983 East Lansing High School yearbook as a freshman, and his first appearance in a North Carolina high school yearbook was as a sophomore in 1984.

The candidate lived in Blowing Rock for roughly three years before attending college elsewhere in the state. His campaign website states he was “raised in Blowing Rock” and does not mention his Michigan roots.

Campaign response and academic view A campaign spokesperson said the time spent in Blowing Rock was formative and that the candidate “became an adult” in western North Carolina. The spokesperson noted the candidate graduated from Watauga High School and earned degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Wake Forest University.

A political science professor at Elon University said the discrepancy could affect perceptions of authenticity but is unlikely to shift many voters focused on larger issues. The Senate race is viewed as one that could determine party control of the chamber, which Republicans currently hold with a slim majority.