Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper officially announced his campaign for the US Senate on Monday, launching a bid to flip the Republican-held seat and setting the stage for what is expected to be one of the most competitive races of the 2026 election cycle. Insiders believe this race could top $750 million, which would make it the most expensive Senate race in US history.
Cooper, a Democrat who served two terms as governor from 2017 to 2025, is aiming to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who recently announced he would not run for re-election. In a launch video, Cooper emphasized his record on education, health care, and economic development.
“I’ve spent my career fighting for North Carolina families — expanding Medicaid, raising teacher pay, and making our state a top destination for business and innovation,” Cooper said. “Now, I’m ready to take that fight to Washington.”
Democrats believe Cooper is best positioned to reverse a historic struggle they’ve had to win Senate seats in North Carolina over the past few decades. Democrats have carried only two races since 1990. In 1998, Democrat John Edwards defeated Republican incumbent Lauch Faircloth, becoming the first Democrat to win a North Carolina Senate race since 1986.
A decade later, in 2008, Democrat Kay Hagan unseated Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in a high-profile contest that coincided with Barack Obama’s strong showing in the state. Since Hagan’s single term, however, Democrats have failed to reclaim a Senate seat. Hagan lost her 2014 re-election bid, and Republicans have since held both Senate seats through victories in 2016, 2020, and 2022.
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
Trump-endorsed Whatley likely to be GOP opponent
Cooper’s early entry into the race gives him a head start in fundraising and organizing, but he’s expected to face a formidable Republican opponent in Michael Whatley, former North Carolina GOP chair and co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Whatley has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who praised him as a “strong America First conservative.”
“Michael Whatley is a patriot who will never back down from the radical left,” Trump said in his endorsement.
Whatley has not formally launched his campaign, but Carolina Journal confirmed last week that an announcement is expected within the next few days.
“Roy Cooper spent decades dragging North Carolina left, and now he wants to do the same to America,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-NC9, in a press release Monday morning. “Roy Cooper supports men playing in girls’ sports and raising taxes on working families. Roy Cooper marched with protestors and then let them burn Raleigh. And Roy Cooper assured all of America that Joe Biden was perfectly capable of being President for four more years. Roy Cooper doesn’t want to make America great again; he just wants to take America Left.”
Cooper was widely criticized for extended shutdowns across North Carolina during the COVID pandemic, and his decision to march with Black Lives Matter protestors during a time when the state government under his direction was refusing to let people gather for worship, school, and other activities. The protests spread and led to riots, destruction, and curfews in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Fayetteville.
Republican response: ‘Radical Roy’ attacks begin
Republican-aligned groups are already targeting Cooper, branding him “Radical Roy” and accusing him of pushing a left-wing agenda during his time in office.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC closely tied to Senate Republican leadership, blasted Cooper’s record, pointing to his vetoes of bills involving gender policy, parental rights, and immigration enforcement.
There are people you trust in the driver’s seat. Roy Cooper isn’t one of them.
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) July 28, 2025
He crashed schools, revved up taxes, and took a hard left on crime. When disaster hit North Carolina, he hit cruise control and showed up 3 days later.
Cooper isn’t just off course, he’s a WRECK. pic.twitter.com/w07kecSKKL
“Chuck Schumer might be celebrating, but North Carolinians are still reeling from extreme liberal Roy Cooper’s botched response to Hurricane Helene that left over 100 people dead,” said SLF executive director Alex Latcham. “We’ll be reminding North Carolina voters about the families Radical Roy Cooper devastated.”
North Carolina in the national spotlight
Democrats are expected to pour significant resources into Cooper’s campaign, viewing North Carolina as one of their few pickup opportunities in 2026. Cooper, who has won six statewide elections, four as attorney general and two as governor, now enters the race with high name recognition and a network of national donors.
Meanwhile, Republicans are confident in Whatley’s ability to consolidate support on the right and benefit from Trump’s backing in a state he won three times.
With both parties likely to make North Carolina a top-tier battleground, the contest will be a test of whether Democrats can regain ground in the South — or whether Republican momentum will carry into another cycle.