Democratic former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday he will seek the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who last month said he would not seek another term in the 2026 mid-term elections.
“I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina,” Cooper posted on X.
Cooper was elected governor in 2016, and re-elected in 2020, even though President Donald Trump won the state handily in both elections, according to The Hill.
Prior to serving as governor, Cooper served 16 years as North Carolina’s attorney general.
“It wasn’t always this hard, because being in the middle class meant something” Cooper said in the video he posted, adding “for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream.”
I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/jXvuioO1T0
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 28, 2025
Cooper may have competition. Former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel said he was running back in April, while Democratic Rep. Don Davis has indicated he was considering a bid.
Republicans, who will be hoping to hold onto their 53-47 Senate majority in 2026, wasted no time in attacking Cooper, according to Fox News.
Will Republicans be able to hold this Senate seat?
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has issued an ad slamming Cooper while NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez sought to link Cooper to former President Joe Biden.
“Roy Cooper is a Democrat lapdog who spent his time as Governor sabotaging President Trump, doing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ bidding, releasing violent illegal aliens into North Carolina streets, and championing radical transgender ideology,” he said.
Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley is expected to be the Republican candidate for Tillis’s seat.
Trump endorses Michael Whatley for US Senate in North Carolina.
Looks like it’s a Cooper vs Whatley general election matchup next fall. pic.twitter.com/YSuVll4Bbz
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 25, 2025
Whatley is “a strong America First conservative who will be a champion for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate,” NRSC Chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina
“The Tar Heel State has supported President Trump in all three of his elections and elected Republicans to both its U.S. Senate seats for over a decade. With Michael as our candidate, we will win it again in 2026!” Scott said.
Trump has said Whatley “would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina. He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC.”
Trump has said he was pleased that Tillis was not seeking re-election.
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