Reports indicate that Democrat Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina, will enter the race for the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat that is opening up as Republican Sen. Thom Tillis retires at the end of his current term. Cooper, a popular politician in the politically divided state, could increase the chances that Democrats may win the high-profile congressional race, which could tip control of the narrowly divided Senate.

Cooper expected to announce Senate run soon

Axios first reported that multiple sources have indicated that Roy Cooper will soon announce his entry into the 2026 North Carolina Senate race to replace Tillis, who has announced that he will retire at the end of his term in January 2027. Cooper has been speculated to be the Democrats’ top choice and is seen as the best chance to flip the seat in what is shaping up to be one of the most contested races of 2026. If Cooper enters the race as expected, he will join former Rep. Wiley Nickel, who announced in April that he would be running for the Senate seat.

NEW: Former Governor Roy Cooper is expected to enter the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina next week. He is a top-tier recruit who will help Democrats flip this crucial seat for the first time since 2008.RETWEET if you support @RoyCooperNC as he runs to flip North Carolina! pic.twitter.com/oPOW1OLJfD— Protect Kamala Harris (@DisavowTrump20) July 23, 2025

Cooper ‘not done’ with North Carolina politics

Cooper is a popular North Carolina politician who served two terms as governor of the state from January 2017 to January 2025. He was briefly considered as a possible running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential race, but Cooper took himself out of contention. Before leaving the governor’s office, Cooper indicated that he’s “not done” with politics, hinting that he might run for the Senate seat. In June, Sen. Tillis announced he would not seek reelection, increasing Democrats’ hopes for regaining the seat and opening it up to challengers from both parties. Although it is unclear what Republicans will run for the seat, Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump, was considered a top potential Republican candidate before announcing late this week that she would not be in the race. The primary challenger right now looks to be Michael Whatley, the chair of the Republican National Committee

My favorite Roy Cooper fun fact is that Republicans didn’t even run a candidate against him in 2012.His performance by county looks like one of those old Dixiecrat maps from the 1940s lol pic.twitter.com/zFnkajY0IP— Matthew Klein (@MattKleinOnline) July 23, 2024

Close race in a hypothetical matchup against a Republican

A recent poll about the Senate race indicates that Cooper is tied with a generic Republican candidate, indicating that the race may be competitive. In the poll, 48% of respondents indicated they would vote for Cooper against an unnamed Republican candidate, with an equal percentage saying they would vote Republican against Cooper; the remaining 4 percent remain undecided. Cooper polls higher than Tillis, the retiring senator; in a hypothetical matchup between the two, Cooper leads Tillis 49% to 31%, with the remaining 20% undecided. Steven Greene, a North Carolina State University political science professor, told Newsweek that he thinks the Senate race will be competitive but noted, “Cooper is a popular former governor with a good brand. I think if Cooper chooses to run, you would have to consider him a slight favorite (this really is a baseline 50-50 race) to win.” The non-incumbent party also traditionally does well during midterm elections, which would also be a boost to a Cooper campaign.

Once Cooper formally enters the race, which he could announce in the coming days, voters will be able to consider the former governor in a nonhypothetical context. Cooper is likely to draw significant attention and resources to the race from Democrats looking to capitalize on the opportunity, and Republicans are likely to contribute heavily to the campaign against Cooper as well.
The post Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper Expected To Enter US Senate Race: What It Means As Dems Try To Tip Control In 2026 appeared first on Blavity.



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