Election 2026 North Carolina
Supporters of North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate former Gov. Roy Cooper watch as he speaks at a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C.
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Democrat Roy Cooper needs to defy North Carolina history to keep winning streak alive in Senate race
North Carolina Democrats have had success in winning elections for governor. It's a different story in Senate races. A former governor is out to change that when Roy Cooper takes on Republican Michael Whatley in November. Whatley was Donald Trump's national Republican Party chairman. Republicans want to frame Cooper as too far left for a state that Trump won three times. That tactic will test Cooper’s bond with voters established across four decades of winning campaigns. Cooper wants to turn that narrative on its head. He says Whatley is a tool of “well-connected friends in Washington” who can't effectively represent the state.
