Democrats see renewed hope as Roy Cooper enters North Carolina Senate race

A North Carolina native, Whatley led the state’s GOP before he was selected by President Trump to lead the RNC in 2024.

A North Carolina native, Whatley led the state’s GOP before he was selected by President Trump to lead the RNC in 2024.

A North Carolina native, Whatley led the state’s GOP before he was selected by President Trump to lead the RNC in 2024.

A North Carolina native, Whatley led the state’s GOP before he was selected by President Trump to lead the RNC in 2024.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Democrats still in the dumps over last year’s elections have found cause for optimism in North Carolina, where former Gov. Roy Cooper jumped into the race for that state’s newly open seat with a vow to address voters’ persistent concerns about the challenges of making ends meet.

Even Republicans quietly note that Cooper’s candidacy makes their job of holding the seat more difficult and expensive. Cooper had raised $2.6 million for his campaign between his Monday launch and Tuesday, and more than $900,000 toward allied groups.

Republicans, meanwhile, are hardly ceding the economic populist ground. In announcing his candidacy for the Senate on Thursday, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley credited President Donald Trump with fulfilling campaign promises to working Americans and painted Cooper as a puppet of the left.

Still, Cooper’s opening message that he hears the worries of working families has given Democrats in North Carolina and beyond a sense that they can reclaim their place as the party that champions the middle class. They think it’s a message that could help them pick up a Senate seat, and possibly more, in next year’s midterm elections, which in recent years have typically favored the party out of power.

“I’m Roy Cooper. And I know that today, for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream,” the former governor said in a video announcing his candidacy. “Meanwhile, the biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense. It’s time for that to change.”

Cooper’s plainspoken appeal may represent just the latest effort by Democrats to find their way back to power, but it has some thinking they’ve finally found their footing after last year’s resounding losses.

“I think it would do us all a lot of good to take a close look at his example,” said Larry Grisolano, a Chicago-based Democratic media strategist and former adviser to President Barack Obama.

Whatley, a former North Carolina GOP chairman and close Trump ally, used his Thursday announcement that he was entering the race to hail the president as the true champion of the middle class. He said Trump had already fulfilled promises to end taxes on tips and overtime and said Cooper was out of step with North Carolinians.

“Six months in, it’s pretty clear to see, America is back,” Whatley said. “A healthy, robust economy, safe kids and communities and a strong America. These are the North Carolina values that I will champion if elected.”

Still, the decision by Cooper, who held statewide office for 24 years and has never lost an election, makes North Carolina a potential bright spot in a midterm election cycle when Democrats must net four seats to retake the majority – and when most of the 2026 Senate contests are in states Trump won comfortably last November.

A North Carolina native, Whatley led the state’s GOP before he was selected by President Trump to lead the RNC in 2024.

State Rep. Cynthia Ball threw up a hand in excitement when asked Monday at the North Carolina Legislative Building about Cooper’s announcement.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to was really hoping that he was going to run,” said the Raleigh Democrat.

Democratic legislators hope having Cooper’s name at the top of the ballot will encourage higher turnout and help them in downballot races. While Republicans have controlled both General Assembly chambers since 2011, Democrats managed last fall to end the GOP’s veto-proof majority, if only by a single seat.

Republican strategists familiar with the national Senate landscape have said privately that Cooper poses a formidable threat.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, wasted no time in challenging Cooper’s portrayal of a common-sense advocate for working people.

“Roy Cooper masquerades as a moderate,” the narrator in the 30-second spot says. “But he’s just another radical, D.C. liberal in disguise.”

Cooper, a former state legislator who served four terms as attorney general before he became governor, has never held an office in Washington. Still, Whatley was quick to link Cooper to national progressive figures such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Whatley accused Cooper of failing to address illegal immigration and of supporting liberal gender ideology. He echoed the themes raised in the Senate Leadership Fund ad, which noted Cooper’s vetoes in the Republican-led legislature of measures popular with conservatives, such as banning gender-affirming health care for minors and requiring county sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

“Roy Cooper may pretend to be different than the radical extremists,” Whatley said. “But he is all-in on their agenda.”

Cooper first won the governorship in 2016, while Trump was carrying the state in his first White House bid. Four years later, they both carried the state again.

Cooper, who grew up in a small town 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) east of Raleigh, has long declined requests that he seek federal office. He “understands rural North Carolina,” veteran North Carolina strategist Thomas Mills said. “And while he’s not going to win it, he knows how to talk to those folks.”

As with most Democrats, Cooper’s winning coalition includes the state’s largest cities and suburbs. But he has long made enough inroads in other areas to win.

“He actually listens to what voters are trying to tell us, instead of us trying to explain to them how they should think and feel,” said state Sen. Michael Garrett, a Greensboro Democrat.

In his video announcement, Cooper tried to turn the populist appeal Trump made to voters on checkbook issues against the party in power, casting himself as the Washington outsider. Senior Cooper strategist Morgan Jackson said the message represents a shift and will take work to drive home with voters.

“Part of the challenge Democrats had in 2024 is we were not addressing directly the issues people were concerned about today,”

Jackson said. “We have to acknowledge what people are going through right now and what they are feeling, that he hears you and understands what you feel.”

Pat Dennis, president of American Bridge 21st Century, a group that conducts research for an initiative called the Working Class Project, said Cooper struck a tone that other Democrats should try to match.

“His focus on affordability and his outsider status really hits a lot of the notes these folks are interested in,” Dennis said. “I do think it’s a model, especially his focus on affordability.”

“We can attack Republicans all day long, but unless we have candidates who can really embody that message, we’re not going to be able to take back power.”

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The first Emerson College/CBS 17 poll of the 2026 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina gives a six-point edge to former Governor Roy Cooper (D), who launched his campaign Monday.

His opponent—Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley—announced his entry into the race Thursday. That came a week after sources close to Whatley confirmed his plans to run on July 24, the same day Laura Trump announced on X that she would not be running.

With more than a year to go before ballots are cast, this initial poll offers an early snapshot of where Cooper and Whatley stand with voters. Emerson College Polling surveyed 1,000 North Carolinians from July 28–30. Of those respondents, 359 identified as Republicans, 311 as Democrats, and 329 as independents or other.

Candidate Favorability

Cooper holds a six-point favorability edge over Whatley among all 1,000 participants in the poll.

One factor likely contributing to Cooper’s edge is name recognition — a point highlighted by a poll question that asked voters how they view each candidate. The percentage breakdown is below.

Kimball explained how Whatley’s low name recognition presents “both a challenge and an opportunity.” While only 17% view him favorably, nearly two-thirds of voters either don’t know him or are unsure, polling showed. “That leaves room for his campaign to define him before his opponent does,” Kimball added.

In contrast, Cooper enters the race with significantly higher name recognition and a more favorable public image.

The gap is much wider among independent voters, who favor Cooper 47% to 28%.

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, also noted a sharp age divide:

“Cooper has a 25-point edge on Whatley among voters under 50, 54% to 29%, whereas Whatley leads voters over 50 by 11 points, 52% to 41%,” he said.

“Cooper has a 25-point edge on Whatley among voters under 50, 54% to 29%, whereas Whatley leads voters over 50 by 11 points, 52% to 41%,” Kimball added.

As for retiring Senator Thom Tillis, he currently holds a 30% favorable rating and a 43% unfavorable rating. His retirement appears aligned with weak favorability: just 41% of Republican voters view him favorably, while 35% view him unfavorably.

“He’s also underwater with independents, with 43% unfavorable and only 27% favorable,” Kimball noted.

More on the Candidates

Michael Whatley

Chairperson of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley speaks at AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Whatley led the North Carolina Republican Party for nearly five years before being elected Republican National Committee chairman 17 months ago with Trump’s backing. He’s hoping to succeed GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced just a month ago that he would not seek a third term after clashing with Trump and voting against the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

In a post on Truth Social last week, President Trump voiced his support for Whatley, giving him his “complete and total endorsement” and referring to him as “one of the most capable executives in our country.” The president also wrote, “I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate.”

On Thursday, Whatley used much of his launch speech to target Cooper, accusing him of “offering North Carolina voters an extreme radical-left ideology — open borders, inflationary spending, and a weak America.”

Roy Cooper

FILE – North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper greets people, Oct. 3, 2024, in Boone, N.C., in the aftermath of hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

Cooper brings a powerful record to the race: he has never lost a statewide election. His winning streak began in 1986 when he was elected to represent the 72nd district in the North Carolina House of Representatives. In 1991, he was appointed to the North Carolina Senate, a position he held for 10 years before winning six more statewide elections.

Those victories earned him four terms as attorney general, from 2000 to 2016, and two terms as governor, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.

The day after Cooper announced his candidacy, former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel ended his campaign and threw his full support behind Cooper. The former governor’s entry brings optimism to a party aiming to take back the Senate in 2026 with a net gain of four seats — a tall order in a year when many Senate races are in states Trump won easily in 2024.

National Republican campaign strategists say Cooper’s entry makes North Carolina a more difficult seat for the GOP to hold, though a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in the traditionally competitive state since 2008, making it one that will be closely watched by the nation.

Politics & Government Michael Whatley faces Democrats’ attacks as he enters US Senate race

Each week, join Dawn Vaughan for The News & Observer and NC Insider’s Under the Dome podcast, an in-depth analysis of topics in state government and politics for North Carolina.

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Sophia Bailly, and I can’t believe it’s already August.

Here we go:

WHATLEY MAKES SENATE BID OFFICIAL

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley tossed his hat into the U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis.

President Donald Trump already has thrown his support behind Whatley, endorsing his longtime supporter shortly after his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, announced last week that she would not be running for the seat.

On Thursday, Whatley made his announcement from his hometown of Gastonia. Although he has never run for office, Whatley’s team and supporters argue this adds to his appeal as a potential game-changer for D.C., McClatchy D.C. correspondent Danielle Battaglia reports.

Whatley was closely involved with Trump’s presidential campaigns, winning him North Carolina in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

During Trump’s first administration, he served in the Department of Energy, eventually becoming a lobbyist. He was recruited to chair the North Carolina Republican Party in 2019 before becoming the RNC chair in February 2024.

Battaglia is closely following the evolution of this Senate race, which is expected to be one of the most watched and most expensive in 2026.

The name-calling between Whatley and his potential Democratic opponent, former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper has already begun. Democrats jumped on Whatley’s Thursday announcement as a greenlight to start making swipes at the likely Republican frontrunner.

FOUSHEE AND ADAMS WRITE RFK JR. ABOUT MEDICAID DATA

Two North Carolina Democrats in Congress, U.S. Reps. Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams, joined in writing a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week. They’re raising alarms about the Trump administration’s plan to share Medicaid data with immigration authorities.

The Associated Press reported earlier this month that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security granting deportation officials access to personal data, including home addresses and ethnicities, of the 79 million people enrolled in Medicaid across the country.

The agreement will give Immigration and Customs Enforcement the ability to “receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE,” the AP reported. The data being shared reportedly includes names, addresses, birth dates, ethnic and racial information, and Social Security numbers for all Medicaid enrollees.

Foushee said in a statement to The News & Observer last week that the agreement “is a shameful violation of personal rights in an attempt to terrorize and single out members of our communities.”

The Department of Health and Human Services defended the information-sharing agreement, saying in a statement that it “acted entirely within its legal authority — and in full compliance with all applicable laws — to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.”

In the letter to Kennedy, which was led by U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, Yvette Clarke and Nanette Barragán, lawmakers wrote they were “gravely concerned” by news reports about the data being shared with ICE, which they said appeared to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and other federal laws.

“Any use of this information for immigration enforcement or other unrelated purposes is both unlawful and a breach of public trust,” the letter states. “This misuse of sensitive health data under the Trump administration jeopardizes the privacy of over 79 million Americans, undermines the integrity of Medicaid, and raises urgent oversight and accountability concerns for Congress.”

The letter calls on Kennedy to “immediately cease sharing personally identifiable Medicaid data with DHS and revoke all access to Medicaid databases containing personally identifiable data to all federal and non-federal personnel outside of CMS.”

It also asks Kennedy to clarify what information has been shared with DHS so far and explain how the data will be used, provide copies of communications between HHS, CMS, and DHS related to this agreement, and explain what legal authority the administration is using to share data with ICE.

— Avi Bajpai

UNC-CHAPEL HILL CHANCELLOR ON BUDGET CUTS, TENURE AND CRICKET STADIUM

While the UNC Board of Trustees convened for most of Thursday’s meeting behind closed doors, Chancellor Lee Roberts spoke with the press about budget cuts, tenure protections, athletics and more.

The previous day’s agenda preceded a university-wide email alert that broke down a proposed $69.5 million in budget cuts over the next several years.

Although that tally represents 2% of the institution’s budget, Roberts said, “we don’t take these decisions lightly,” during a press conference.

He added that all decisions were “prudent” and “thoughtful” measures, with university layoffs being the last resort for items to add to the chopping block.

Roberts said he understood the campuswide anxiety that arose after Wednesday’s announcement, but he said any changes would be necessary for the institution’s stability and future, as the future of state and federal funding remains uncertain.

And, on the note of tenure – which has mixed reviews from the board – Roberts said it will remain competitive and imperative “for the foreseeable future.”

In higher education, tenure is a form of job security that bars certain faculty from dismissal. It often involves a rigorous review process during which a faculty member is on a yearslong probationary track.

Opponents of tenure argue it’s an unnecessary financial burden, and that the protective layer it casts over faculty could yield complacency. Its advocates argue tenure upholds academic freedom and retains high-quality talent among faculty.

WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON

Unfolding conflict between the Trump administration and Duke and Duke Health continues. A federal complaint alleges without evidence that the institution promotes racism in its practices. But Duke isn’t the first to be targeted by the nonprofit that filed the complaint. The N&O’s Nathan Collins reports that Do No Harm has brought numerous DEI-related lawsuits against organizations and agencies since its founding in 2022. Several of the lawsuits filed against academic institutions claimed minority-forward programs and opportunities were racist in nature by excluding other demographics. The nonprofit’s goals strongly align with the Republican guidebook, Project 2025.

and continues. A federal complaint alleges without evidence that the institution promotes racism in its practices. But Duke isn’t the first to be targeted by the nonprofit that filed the complaint. The N&O’s reports that Do No Harm has brought numerous DEI-related lawsuits against organizations and agencies since its founding in 2022. Several of the lawsuits filed against academic institutions claimed minority-forward programs and opportunities were racist in nature by excluding other demographics. The nonprofit’s goals strongly align with the Republican guidebook, Project 2025. Parents who enroll their students in private schools could receive a tax break under a proposed bill that passed through the General Assembly Wednesday. House Bill 87 enables the state to use the federal tax credit Trump succeeded in getting passed in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last month. Capitol bureau chief Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan reports the State Education Assistance Authority would oversee program participation. The bill comes as politicians balance funding and focus for school choice and public education. The legislation now heads to Stein’s desk.

Today’s newsletter was by Sophia Bailly and Avi Bajpai. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.

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EXCLUSIVE: GASTONIA, N.C. — Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley made it official Thursday, announcing his bid for a GOP-held Senate seat in battleground North Carolina.

Whatley’s campaign launch, at an event in his hometown of Gastonia, North Carolina, comes a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Whatley and urged him to run.

“President Trump deserves an ally, and North Carolina deserves a strong conservative voice in the Senate,” Whatley emphasized as he spoke to a crowd of family, friends and supporters. “I will be that voice.”

GAME ON IN NORTH CAROLINA AS TOP DEMOCRAT RECRUIT JUMPS INTO BATTLEGROUND SEAT SENATE RACE

The move by the RNC chair also comes four days after Democrats landed their top Senate recruit of the 2026 cycle to date. Former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper declared his candidacy in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.

And in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital minutes later, Whatley highlighted that “this midterm election cycle is going to be absolutely huge, and North Carolina is going to be the marquee Senate race in the country. And I’m absolutely thrilled that President Trump has asked me to run in this race.”

Cooper’s campaign launch bolsters the Democrats’ chances of flipping a key GOP-held seat as they try to take a big bite out of the Republicans’ 53–47 Senate majority.

And beating Cooper, who has won statewide six times — four times as attorney general and twice as governor — won’t be easy.

But Whatley, in his speech, took aim at Cooper, tying the former governor to far-left figures in the Democratic Party, including New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who is part of the party’s Senate leadership.

“Roy Cooper may pretend to be different from the radical extremists that run today’s Democrat Party, but he is all in on their agenda,” Whatley said in his speech.

And Whatley told Fox News Digital, “You just have to take a look at his record. … We are going to call him out on his record. These are not just wild suppositions that we’re going to make.”

The showdown in North Carolina between Whatley and Cooper is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive Senate battles in the country.

And Cooper raised a record-breaking $3.4 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign.

“We will be the most expensive Senate race in the history of the country,” Whatley told Fox News. “But, look, we will be able to raise the resources we need to tell our story, and we are going to work all 100 counties here across North Carolina to be able to tell our story.

“It’s a story about how Republicans win in North Carolina. We listen to the voters. We understand the issues that they care about, and we put solutions on a table,” Whatley added. “That’s how the Republican Party has won the Senate races in North Carolina since 2008. And that’s how Donald Trump won three times in a row in this state.”

Whatley, a North Carolina native, served as the state’s GOP chair for five years before Trump picked him in March 2024 to serve as RNC chair.

DNC CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS DIGITAL DEMOCRATS HAVE HIT ‘ROCK BOTTOM’ – HERE’S HIS PLAN TO REBOUND

Trump called Tillis’ announcement in June that he wouldn’t seek a third six-year term in the Senate “great news.”

Tillis is a GOP critic of the president, and Trump torched the senator last month for not supporting his “big, beautiful” spending and tax cut bill.

After Tillis’ announcement, Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was at the top of the president’s list for the open seat in the Tar Heel State.

But, recently, Lara Trump, a North Carolina native who served as RNC co-chair alongside Whatley in 2024, announced that “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.”

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Democrats took aim at Whatley in advance of his campaign launch.

“Now, Whatley is heading back to North Carolina to sell Trump’s budget betrayal that took health care away from more than 650,000 North Carolinians and spiked costs for working families,” Democratic National Committee communications director Rosemary Boeglin argued in a statement.

“Trump and Whatley’s toxic agenda will hang around Whatley like an albatross.”

And as Whatley announced his candidacy, the Cooper campaign blasted him.

“Michael Whatley is a D.C. insider and big oil lobbyist who supports policies that are ripping health care away from North Carolinians and raising costs for middle-class families,” Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen charged.

“North Carolinians don’t need a lobbyist as their senator, and voters will have a clear choice between Whatley’s long career as a Beltway insider against Roy Cooper’s record of putting partisanship aside to get results for North Carolina.”

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley has formally entered the North Carolina Senate race, setting up a likely faceoff against former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) in one of the most competitive contests next year.

“I’m excited to announce my campaign for the U.S. Senate to represent the great state of North Carolina!” Whatley wrote in a post on the social platform X shortly before he was expected to deliver remarks. “I am humbled and excited to begin this campaign, and I would be honored to earn your vote, your support, and your prayers. Let’s get to work.”

Whatley was first reported to be planning a run for the seat held by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) last week, with critical backing from President Trump. He will be the clear favorite for the Republican nomination.

The president’s daughter-in-law, former RNC co-Chair Lara Trump, was another possible candidate and appeared to have first right of refusal for the Republican lane, but she ruled out running last Thursday.

Whatley said at his campaign launch event that his campaign will focus on “North Carolina values,” including a strong economy, public safety and the country being respected around the world. He said he would push to eliminate sanctuary cities, keep taxes low and support the police and veterans.

He said he will be the conservative ally in the Senate that President Trump needs.

Whatley’s campaign video announcing his run touts Trump’s past praise of him and endorsement of his candidacy.

“Whatley is a strong leader who can get North Carolina back on track, to help families make ends meet, to create jobs, to make our streets safe again,” the narrator states in the video.

Whatley has never run for elected office before, but he has an extensive background in North Carolina politics as a former chief of staff to former Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), and he formerly served as chair of the North Carolina GOP. He served in the latter role for almost five years before Trump tapped him to lead the RNC last year ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Tillis has served two terms but announced last month that he wouldn’t run for a third term, saying he hadn’t been excited about running again and criticizing the “political theatre and partisan gridlock” of Washington. He has been seen as a more moderate member of the Senate GOP conference and less closely tied to Trump, at times to the president’s chagrin.

Whatley is much more tied to Trump and would be a close ally to him if elected. Republicans have said they had doubts about Tillis’s ability to appeal to some members of Trump’s base if he sought reelection, and they expect a candidate more closely backing Trump to be a more competitive choice.

A few other Republicans have been rumored to be possible candidates, but most of the names have declined to run, and Republicans seem to be quickly coalescing behind Whatley.

Trump said in a Truth Social post last week that Whatley would make “an unbelievable Senator” and praised his work at the RNC, backing Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters (R) to become the national party’s next leader.

Whatley immediately received endorsements from two of the Senate GOP’s top leaders, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

Thune said in a statement that Whatley has been “exceptional” leading the RNC and he’s excited to back him for Senate.

“Michael is a strong conservative voice committed to fighting for North Carolina and will be a crucial part of our growing Senate Republican majority,” he said.

Scott said Whatley knows how to win in North Carolina, just like Trump, calling him a “strong America First conservative and a champion” for the state.

“With Michael in the race and running to win, I know we will protect President Trump’s Senate Majority in 2026,” he said in a statement.

A GOP source familiar with the matter told The Hill that Scott announced to the Senate Republican Conference that he would endorse Whatley at Tuesday’s policy lunch and asked his colleagues to contribute the maximum amount allowed to Whatley’s campaign. They said Scott also asked them to join a fundraiser for him that the NRSC is hosting in September.

The NRSC also gave the maximum amount allowed, $62,000, directly to Whatley’s campaign and joined the Whatley campaign’s joint fundraising agreement on Wednesday, the source said.

Democrats eyeing the seat as a key pickup opportunity in 2026 seem to be coalescing around Cooper, a popular former two-term governor seen as the party’s best chance to win the race. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.), who had been running for the seat, dropped out of the race on Tuesday and endorsed Cooper.

Democrats slammed Whatley as a “D.C. insider” and for his past as a lobbyist for oil and gas companies.

Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen said Whatley supports policies that are “ripping away” health care from North Carolinians and raising costs for the middle class.

“North Carolinians don’t need a lobbyist as their Senator, and voters will have a clear choice between Whatley’s long career as a Beltway insider against Roy Cooper’s record of putting partisanship aside to get results for North Carolina,” Allen said.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) accused Whatley of backing the GOP’s “cruel plan to gut health care and shutter rural hospitals” and criticized his support of North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban.

“Republicans are stuck with Whatley after Senator Tillis retired rather than run on the GOP’s toxic agenda, and North Carolina voters will reject his self-serving politics to send Governor Cooper to the Senate in 2026,” DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement.

The North Carolina Democratic Party released a video and website targeting Whatley’s record.

But Democrats face a battle as they’ll try to win a Senate race in North Carolina for the first time since 2008. The party has seen much more success in state elections recently, including Cooper’s two victories in 2016 and 2020, even as Trump carried the state in the presidential contests.

This seat, along with Sen. Susan Collins’s (R) in Maine, are viewed as the two top pickup opportunities for Democrats in a midterm environment that they hope will favor them.