The Horses Are Out of the Gate As the 2026 NC Senate Race Gets Underway
“Thank you, President Trump for your endorsement & trust! We will work every day in all 100 counties to win this race & we will not stop until we make North Carolina better, safer, & stronger.”
After Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced in late June that he wouldn’t be seeking a third term, speculation ran high that former RNC co-chair Lara Lea Trump, a Wilmington native who now resides in Florida, was mulling jumping into the race to replace him.
Mrs. Trump, a Fox News weekend show host, and also President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, shut down the rumors last Thursday, tweeting, “After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time.”
That same day, news broke that RNC Chairman Michael Whatley was getting ready to declare his entry into the race with the blessing of the POTUS:
Trump is optimistic that Whatley, who ran the state party in North Carolina before becoming RNC chair, has the knowledge of the state, the national profile and the network of relationships to mount a strong campaign to replace Tillis, who announced his retirement last month after opposing the sweeping domestic policy agenda bill backed by the president.
[…]
Republicans believe Whatley’s connections with donors will be an asset in what will likely be one of the most expensive races in next year’s elections.
A week later, Whatley has done just that, announcing his intentions on X and thanking Trump for his support:
Thank you, President Trump for your endorsement & trust!
We will work every day in all 100 counties to win this race & we will not stop until we make North Carolina better, safer, & stronger. With every vote I take, I will put North Carolina FIRST. 🇺🇸https://t.co/PA8TuFPwCL pic.twitter.com/wGKuS4VDAY
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) July 31, 2025
Whatley has already come out swinging, criticizing former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) for his handling of Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, among other things:
Whatley takes the stage, thanks Trump for his support. Talks about Roy Cooper's hurricane failures, including Helene. #ncsen https://t.co/HcIMjR7zkf pic.twitter.com/JOaHQSIENH
— A.P. Dillon (@APDillon_) July 31, 2025
Whatley, I should note, was the chairman of the NCGOP in 2022 when the state bucked national trends and had its own red wave.
Cooper, meanwhile, made it official on Monday, in a stereotypical folksy, aw-shucks video designed to appeal to the working-class voters who have been abandoning the Democratic Party in droves:
I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/jXvuioO1T0
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 28, 2025
Cooper, too, is already throwing jabs which are … missing the mark:
"Putting partisanship aside" – Roy Cooper issued 104 gubernatorial vetoes during his tenure, a record-setting number—almost triple the total of all other NC governors combined since the state adopted the veto in 1997 #ncpol https://t.co/7lmEP9KHKG
— Nick Craig (@nicholasmcraig) July 31, 2025
The DNC was said to have heavily recruited Cooper to run, feeling his two terms as governor, along with his extensive background in state government, gave Cooper a decided advantage in terms of name recognition in the state over any of his competitors.
Cooper is, in fact, the definition of a career politician, having served in the state legislature from 1987 to 2000, before moving on to the AG position from 2001 to 2016, and then governor from 2017 to 2025.
But is name recognition a good thing in North Carolina? If you’re Cooper, it doesn’t look like it’s an advantage so far – and may, to some extent, be working against him. Early polling is showing both him and Whatley, who are likely to be the nominees barring any surprises, very close so far:
NORTH CAROLINA POLL – Senate
🟦 Cooper: 43.4%
🟥 Whatley: 40.2%
⬜ Not sure: 16.4%With Leaners
🟦 Cooper: 44.4%
🟥 Whatley: 43.5%
⬜ Not sure: 12.1%
——
Name ID
Cooper: 93%
Whatley: 58%@VictoryPolling | July 28-30 | 600 LVhttps://t.co/0FW2WVVbVn pic.twitter.com/XHSGprERgC— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 31, 2025
That, and the fact that Cook Political has this race listed as a “toss-up,” has some political observers here in the state pointing out how “remarkable” it is considering how well known Cooper is in North Carolina in comparison to Whatley:
This is actually pretty remarkable. Two-term governor is a toss-up with virtually unknown Republican. Says a lot about the state of the @NCDemParty #ncpol https://t.co/lFvzF0saX8
— Andrew Dunn (@andrew_dunn) July 30, 2025
In 2016, Cooper rode the anti-HB2 wave into office, aided and abetted by a state political media machine that is second only to the Acela media in terms of devotion to leftist causes. And in 2020, voters stuck with the status quo here amid the COVID pandemic.
But the stakes are even higher now, and Cooper has given his critics an awful lot to work with that can be used against him in the coming months. Cooper has never lost an election, but if Trump, Whatley, and Republicans in the Tar Heel State have their way about it, this will be his first.
It’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up and stay tuned.
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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Comments
so while the dems work furiously to elect more communist lovers
will the gop elect more maga or more rinos !!??
WILBUR!!!!!
NC has an identity crisis…2/3 of the state is coastal plain, half the population is in Charlotte and the 1/3 of the state that isn’t rural coastal plain but mountains filled with filthy transplants.
Cooper is a very well respected name in NC and has not lost a race since the 1980. For a Dem he campaigns moderate and he will be allowed by that party to run as such. I expect the Senate race to become the most expensive in US history and also to be the most hotly run of all races with nothing off limits by either side.
A down mark, really? I know my home state pretty well.
If you don’t mind the fact he forced seniors to die alone during COVID while he closed Churches but left liquor stores open.
He had more overridden vetos than all previous NC Governors combined.
Most Democrat voters won’t mind that in the least.
I am in Greensboro and grew up here and I can tell you y’all are both right.
Cooper successfully crafted that folksy and down-home persona and his brand in the state is strong.
He is the old school crafty democrat sheep in wools clothing.
And yes, during COVID he was an especially detestable wanker, and he is a hard-core leftist.
He’s got the name recognition and will probably win, as much as I hate to say it.
“This is actually pretty remarkable. Two-term governor is a toss-up with virtually unknown Republican. Says a lot about the state of the @NCDemParty”
It’s time we made Democrat voters in 2026 as closeted and furtive as unvaxxed Republicans in 2020.