US EditionFormer Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will run for Senate in 2026
NORTH CAROLINA, JUL 28 – Former two-term governor Roy Cooper enters a competitive 2026 Senate race seeking to flip a key Republican-held seat and strengthen Democrats' slim path to majority control.
- According to a WNCN report, Roy Cooper, former North Carolina governor, signals his intent to run for the U.S. Senate seat in 2026.
- The vacancy emerged last month after Republican Senator Thom Tillis announced he would not seek re-election, creating an open-seat contest, according to reports.
- During his tenure, North Carolina added more than 640,000 jobs while Roy Cooper expanded Medicaid, raised teacher pay, and addressed climate change as governor from 2017 to 2025.
- Amid GOP criticism, Joanna Rodriguez, NRSC Communications Director, called Cooper a `Democrat lapdog` on July 28, and Republicans claimed he aligns with the radical left.
- The Cook Political Report lists North Carolina’s race as a `toss up`, with primary elections scheduled for March 2026 and the general in November.
52 Articles
52 Articles
North Carolina political experts discuss possibility of former Governor Roy Cooper winning Senate seat
(WGHP) -- There was joy among Democrats when former Governor Roy Cooper announced that he was running for the US Senate. Democrats had been using every tool they had to try to get Cooper to say yes to the invitation, seeing him as not just the best but possibly the only person who could win a Senate election in this state, which is something Democrats have done in only four of the last 18 US Senate elections in the state. Cooper has won all six …
N.C.’s Roy Cooper Raises Record $3.4M in First 24 Hours
Former North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper raised a record $3.4 million in the first 24 hours of his Senate candidacy, shattering the previous record by nearly $1 million, Politico reported Tuesday. Cooper, who termed out as governor in 2024, launched his candidacy to replace outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who announced last month he would not seek reelection in the 2026 midterms. Cooper's fundraising haul shattered the previous one-day …
Democrats got a top Senate recruit in North Carolina. Now they’re trying to find more
Democrats landed the biggest recruiting win of the 2026 midterm elections to date when former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper launched his Senate run Monday, boosting party hopes of winning the seat opened by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
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