Former Gov. Roy Cooper formally launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on the morning of July 28, making a long-rumored candidacy official and cementing himself as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee in 2026.
In a video announcement, Cooper says he “really never wanted to go to Washington.” But now, he’ll seek to head there as the successor to retiring U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican — hoping to flip the seat blue.
“Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember,” Cooper said. “And the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America.”
Cooper served two terms in the governor’s mansion, with prior stints as attorney general and a state senator. He’s a Nash County native and attorney. His launch comes just days after he teased his run in front of state Democrats at the party’s annual fundraising dinner.
He is currently joined in the Democratic field by former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, who is reportedly set to suspend his campaign. And his Republican opponent will most likely be Michael Whatley — the Republican National Committee chairman and former head of the North Carolina GOP.
Early campaign messaging from Cooper and Democrats signal that he will lean on his reputation and accomplishments in elected office — including working with lawmakers to expand Medicaid and raise teacher pay.
North Carolin Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton said in a statement she was “confident he will flip this seat in 2026.” And Senate Majority PAC, one of the main campaign fundraisers for Senate Democrats, said Cooper’s entry “confirms the state is a prime pick-up opportunity.”
Republicans, meanwhile, see him as a frequent target of criticism and controversy, which they’ll seek to capitalize on.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, who chairs congressional Republicans’ campaign operation, said Cooper “spent decades dragging North Carolina left, and now he wants to do the same to America.”
Senate Republicans’ campaign arm called him a “wreck” in a digital ad criticizing his record. And the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC for the Senate GOP, blasted him for the state’s hurricane response and key vetoes on transgender rights and immigration.
This article appears courtesy of NC Newsline under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.