According to reports from Politico and PoliticalWire.com, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper will run in the Democratic Primary in the 2026 US Senate Primary for the seat to be vacated by soon-to-be-retired Senator Thom Tillis.
“Roy Cooper is expected to announce his campaign for the North Carolina Senate as soon as Monday, according to two people directly familiar with the former governor’s decision” Politico reported.The popular, former two-term governor’s entrance into the Senate race — for a seat Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is leaving open with his announcement last month that he won’t seek reelection — is likely to transform the Senate race into the most competitive of 2026. Democrats, facing a difficult path to seizing control of the Senate next year, landed their dream recruit with Cooper, who would enter the race as a favorite.”
Cooper was succeeded by former state attorney general, Josh Stein, a fellow Democrat who coasted to a double-digit victory last November despite Donald Trump winning the state in the same election.