In what is anticipated to be one of the most contested 2026 campaigns, RALEIGH, N.C. will run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, providing Democrats with a statewide winner with a track record of success.
Cooper announced the news on his campaign website and social media on Monday. The former governor, who has served two terms, will be the clear favorite to win the Democratic candidacy in the next election.
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According to two people familiar with his thinking who were not permitted to speak publicly about the topic prior to an official announcement, the chairman of the Republican National Committee intends to run for the GOP nomination with President Donald Trump’s approval.
Following the death of the president’s daughter-in-law, Trump endorsed Whatley, the former chairman of the North Carolina GOP.
Democrats, who view the seat as a top pick-up opportunity in what will be a difficult year, consider Cooper’s campaign a significant recruiting victory. Democrats need to win four seats in order to regain the majority in 2026, and the majority of the races are in states that Trump won handily the previous year. North Carolina was one of Trump’s closest victories, with a margin of roughly 3 percentage points.
On Thursday night, Trump posted an endorsement of Whatley on his Truth Social platform, saying that Mike would be an incredible senator from North Carolina if he were to run.
The middle class is the subject of the video.
Cooper’s video announcement centered on the state’s middle class, which he claimed is in danger of disappearing in America because Washington lawmakers are increasing our debt, taking away our health care, and reducing assistance for the poor while giving billionaires tax advantages.
A former U.S. Representative spent months vying for the Democratic candidacy. Text messages on Monday asking for comment on Nickel’s future were not immediately answered by his team. March 3 would be the date of the party primary.
State Democrats swiftly united around Cooper, expecting Nickel to step aside.
Anderson Clayton, the chair of the state Democratic Party, stated in a statement that Cooper is one of the greatest candidates North Carolina has ever had and that they are sure he will win this seat in 2026. Cooper was also endorsed on Monday by Josh Stein, the current Democratic governor.
Cooper’s political career began in the 1980s.
Cooper, 68, has been on the statewide ballot for 25 years. Prior to winning the governorship in 2016, he served as attorney general for 16 years.
Cooper, who has been in politics for almost 40 years, has a knack for winning in a state where Republicans currently control both the legislature and the appeals courts. Cooper was prohibited by state law from running for governor a third time in a row. He was teaching at Harvard for the spring.
Washington was never really somewhere I wanted to visit. In the video, Cooper states, “I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina right here, where I’ve lived my entire life.” However, these are not typical times.
Long before Tillis declared on June 29 that he would not run for a third term, state and national Democrats were clamoring for Cooper to enter the race. That information was released after Tillis, who opposes Medicaid cuts in the president’s administration, threatened to support a primary candidate against him.
Democrats in North Carolina are losing the Senate.
In North Carolina, where independent voters typically support Republicans in federal elections, Democrats haven’t won a Senate seat since 2008. Due to the large number of television markets, statewide campaigns can be extremely expensive, with hundreds of millions of dollars anticipated to be spent.
Despite occasionally reaching an agreement with GOP opponents, Cooper’s recent political past has portrayed him as a fighter against what he views as radical Republican policies.
In his capacity as governor, he guided the state through the coronavirus pandemic, Hurricanes Florence and Helene, and a statute that served as a precursor to the cultural conflicts around transgender people’s use to public facilities. Cooper’s first term began with that restroom bill, and the state’s economy flourished under his leadership, with significant job announcements and low unemployment.
Cooper was unsuccessful in blocking legislation that significantly and narrowly restricted abortion rights, even if he was successful in getting a historic greenhouse gasses measure passed.
Cooper claimed it wasn’t the appropriate time for him and North Carolina, but his alleged achievements in 2024 elevated his profile nationally.
Cooper’s record as governor is being criticized by Republicans.
Republicans have claimed that Cooper is still politically vulnerable, pointing to what they see as an extreme record of opposing school choice and supporting abortion rights that resulted in numerous vetoes.
They have also pointed to executive orders that limited companies and school instruction during COVID-19, delays in rebuilding or upgrading homes following Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, and a gubernatorial government that they claim was slow to respond to Helene.
In the driver’s seat are those you trust. In a social media video posted on Monday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee stated that Roy Cooper is not one of them. Roy Cooper is a complete mess, not simply off course.
Republicans give themselves credit for the booming economy by deregulating and lowering taxes.
emboldened Trump loyalists and far-right Republicans who have been dissatisfied for years with his readiness to question Trump’s policies and Cabinet agency selections.
During the 2024 election campaign, Republicans had shown deference to Lara Trump, a native of North Carolina, a graduate of North Carolina State University, and a well-liked former RNC co-chair with Whatley. On Thursday, she announced on the social media site X that she will not run for the Senate.
