Republican Michael Whatley officially kicked off his campaign for U.S. Senate Thursday against Democrat Roy Cooper with an 18-minute speech Thursday near his home in Gastonia.

Big news is expected out of Gastonia this Thursday, as Republican leader Michael Whatley is set to make a major announcement.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Republican who represented North Carolina in Congress, also never ran for public office before being elected in 2002. Whatley served as her chief of staff for one of her six years in the chamber.