NORTH CAROLINA — Former two-term Governor Roy Cooper officially launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate Monday morning, setting the stage for a battle to flip a Republican-held seat in 2026.
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Cooper, a Democrat whose eight years as North Carolina governor expired in 2024, announced his bid for the seat currently held by Republican Senator Thom Tillis. His entry immediately shifts the landscape of what is expected to be one of the nation’s most competitive and expensive Senate races. North Carolina is expected to be a key swing state, with the potential to alter the U.S. Senate’s balance of power, currently at 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two Independents.
“Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember. And the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America,” Cooper said in an announcement video. “I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people right here in North Carolina where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times.”
Before Cooper’s formal announcement, he attended the North Carolina Democratic Party’s Unity Dinner on Saturday, July 26, where he addressed the crowd of fellow politicians, donors, and supporters. Cooper spoke about wealth disparity, women’s reproductive freedom, and reelecting Democrats like Associate Justice Anita Earls to the North Carolina Supreme Court. While not formally announcing his run at the dinner, Cooper alluded to his involvement in the race.
“Everybody who’s planning on running for office next year, please stand up. I’m not sitting down, am I?” Cooper said, followed by chants from the crowd of “run Roy, run.”
Tillis informed constituents last month he would not seek re-election, a decision that came one day after he publicly opposed a major spending and tax bill championed by President Donald Trump, drawing the president’s public criticism. Tillis cited concerns the bill would result in “tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina,” notably a projected $26-billion cut to Medicaid, potentially eliminating coverage for “hundreds of thousands” of residents. He also expressed a lack of excitement for another term and a desire for more family time, contrasting it with Washington’s “political theatre and partisan gridlock.”
Shortly after Cooper’s announcement, Governor Josh Stein threw support behind his former colleague; Stein was the attorney general of the state under Cooper’s time in office.
“I am proud to call Gov. Cooper a friend, and grateful for the lifetime of service he’s already given to North Carolina,” Stein said in a statement sent to media. “He’s ready to fight for more of the progress we’ve made here in NC for every American. He’ll work hard, listen to people, and do what’s right for this state and country.”
It’s unclear who Cooper will face off against.
Democratic candidate Wiley Nickel, former U.S. Congressman from Wake County, announced he would seek the Senate seat in April; however, Nickel is expected to withdraw from the primary, likely in favor of endorsing Cooper. According to reporting from WRAL, Nickel is instead eyeing a run for Wake County District Attorney after incumbent Lorrin Freeman announced in May she won’t seek re-election in 2026.
Cooper’s opponent from across the aisle is likely to be Republican Michael Whatley. Whatley is the current Chairman of the Republican National Committee and a prominent figure in North Carolina politics. He is positioned as the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, although he has yet to formally announce a run.
A native of North Carolina, Whatley has a long history in party leadership, including serving as the state GOP Chairman from 2019 to 2024, and has a strong relationship with President Trump. On Thursday, July 24, Trump endorsed Whatley for the Senate seat on social media, stating “Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina” if he were to run.
Responding to Cooper’s Senate run, the Senate Leadership Fund — a Republican super PAC focused on winning Senate majorities — immediately characterized the 68-year-old as “radical Roy Cooper.” In a release, the organization pointed to his alleged “botched response” to Hurricane Helene, support for “boys in girls’ sports,” and his previous vetoes of bills concerning parental rights, gender-affirming care for minors, and cooperation with federal immigration officials as evidence of his “radical” agenda.
Cooper’s political career spans decades of service in North Carolina. He started as a state legislator in 1986 before serving four terms as the state’s attorney general from 2001 to 2017, focusing on consumer protection, combating scams and pursuing fraudulent businesses. He then completed two terms as governor from 2017 to 2025, during which he expanded Medicaid, bringing healthcare coverage to more than 600,000 North Carolinians, and championed other initiatives like raising teacher pay.
Since leaving the governor’s office in January, Cooper has been a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, teaching a course on health policy and leadership.
The primary election for the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina is scheduled for March 3, 2026 with the general election on November 3, 2026.
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