How Roy Cooper became Democrats’ best chance to flip a Senate seat - …

North Carolina Senate Race Features Former Gov. Roy Cooper Against Republican Michael Whatley

WILSON, N.C. — John Ashe, a fourth-generation tobacco farmer, described the reduction in tobacco acreage in eastern North Carolina and linked higher costs for fuel and fertilizer to tariffs implemented during the Trump administration and effects from the Iran conflict. Ashe, 58, said these factors increased expenses for agricultural operations and other businesses. He stated his support for Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign, citing the former governor’s background as a Democrat who previously won statewide office in North Carolina.

Ashe noted that the state has elected Democratic governors in recent decades while electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate and presidential races in most cycles since 1980. North Carolina has not sent a Democratic senator to Washington in nearly 20 years, and the last Democratic presidential win in the state occurred in 2008.

Cooper, the two-term former governor, is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 Senate contest. Public polling has shown him leading Republican Michael Whatley by double digits in recent surveys. Whatley previously chaired the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party. Republican strategists have acknowledged internal concerns about the state’s competitiveness in this race.

Cooper’s campaign has emphasized his record of working with Republican majorities in the state legislature, including periods when those majorities held veto-proof margins. He has described his approach as focused on reducing costs for residents and has used the phrase “make stuff cost less” in public appearances. At events with farmers, Cooper stated he is neither a socialist nor a right-wing Republican and would work with members of either party on affordability measures.

Whatley’s campaign has described Cooper’s positioning as inconsistent with his record. Spokesperson DJ Griffin cited Cooper’s vetoes of legislation restricting certain transgender medical interventions for minors and bills requiring local sheriffs to honor federal immigration detainers. Griffin stated that Cooper’s record aligns more closely with progressive priorities than his public statements suggest.

Cooper has said he would cooperate with President Trump on shared priorities while opposing him on others. He has pointed to the possibility of North Carolina having one Democratic and one Republican senator, alongside Sen. Ted Budd, as a potential check on partisan polarization.

Cooper has highlighted the 2023 expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, which occurred after more than a decade of legislative debate. The program added hundreds of thousands of low-income adults to coverage. State Sen. Phil Berger, the Republican leader, had previously expressed skepticism that expansion would pass. Cooper has presented the outcome as evidence of his ability to reach agreements across party lines.

Mary Jackson, a retired teacher in Weeksville, attended one of Cooper’s events and said the Medicaid expansion addressed needs in rural areas where many residents work in agriculture. She noted that local voters include both Democrats and Republicans and that economic pressures on farming communities remain a factor in elections. Jackson also said she remains cautious about polling leads because North Carolina races have historically narrowed in final weeks.

Republicans have made Cooper’s record on criminal justice a central line of attack. Whatley and allied groups have run advertisements claiming Cooper was lenient on crime during his time as attorney general and governor. One advertisement incorrectly attributed a murder committed in South Carolina to policies in North Carolina. At a September rally in Gastonia, President Trump stated that Cooper bore responsibility for elevated violent crime levels in the state.

Cooper’s campaign has responded by referencing his prosecutions as attorney general and by airing advertisements that note his opposition to police defunding proposals, his support for changes to bail statutes, and cooperation with the Trump administration on fentanyl enforcement. The campaign has not released independent data comparing North Carolina’s violent crime trends to national averages during Cooper’s governorship.

Whatley has maintained a close alignment with Trump throughout the campaign. He appeared with the president at rallies and has not distanced himself from the administration’s agenda. Trump carried North Carolina in the three presidential elections in which he was a candidate. Whatley’s campaign has stated that sufficient resources remain available for the final weeks despite some outside Republican groups reducing advertising purchases.

Cooper has told supporters that Republican efforts could still close the gap by targeting undecided voters. At an event in Elizabeth City, he urged volunteers to contact neighbors and described Whatley as a Washington insider tied to Trump. In Raleigh, Cooper acknowledged the volume of fundraising solicitations his campaign sends and receives.

Bev Orozco, a Raleigh resident, said she supports Cooper and is concerned about rising health insurance premiums following the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. She also said she expects the race to remain competitive given the state’s voting patterns in recent cycles.

Voter interviews in both rural eastern counties and urban areas show divided preferences. Some residents cite cost pressures on agriculture and health care as reasons for supporting Cooper. Others cite public safety statistics and alignment with Trump administration policies as reasons for supporting Whatley. Statewide voter registration data continues to show a narrow Republican advantage in party affiliation, while turnout patterns in suburban counties have varied in recent elections.

The contest remains one of the most closely watched Senate races nationally, with both campaigns continuing to focus on affordability, public safety, and the candidates’ respective records in state and federal roles.