CHARLOTTE – Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has announced his plans to run for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Cooper announced his candidacy on Monday morning in the open-seat race to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced late last month that he wouldn’t run for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections.
Although President Trump has endorsed Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley to compete for the seat, Whatley has not made an official announcement.
Whatley, the former North Carolina GOP chairman, received Trump’s endorsement after the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, passed on the seat.
To retake the majority in 2026, Democrats need to net four seats, and most of the contests are in states that Trump easily won last year.
