In the general election, former Gov. Roy Cooper is most likely to face former RNC Chair Michael Whatley.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat has been one of the most-watched races in the country since current Sen. Thom Tillis announced his decision not to seek re-election.ย
This seat represents one of Democrats’ best opportunities to flip a Republican-held seat and make gains in Congress.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper will be unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Cooper has never lost a statewide race, serving as attorney general prior to his time as governor. Mecklenburg County Democrats Chair Wesley Harris said the stakes extend well beyond North Carolina’s borders.
“I think the future of the Democratic Party itself hinges on North Carolina, because strategies that work in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia don’t work in North Carolina because we simply don’t have the urban population that those states do,” he said. “If we can break through this logjam, add some checks to the Trump administration, I think we’re going to take the House back. It’s going to be a little tougher take the Senate back.”
Republicans, however, are pushing back on the notion that Cooper would be a formidable general election candidate, arguing he has never faced a truly competitive statewide race.ย
In the general election, Cooper is most likely to face former RNC Chair Michael Whatley. Michele Morrow and Don Brown are also running. However, Whatley enters the primary with a significant asset: an endorsement from President Donald Trump, who carried North Carolina in the last three presidential elections.
Mecklenburg County GOP Chair Kyle Kirby framed the contest in stark terms.
“It is a must-win seat at all costs. If Cooper were to win the open Senate seat, it would be a catastrophe for not only Republicans, but North Carolinians in general,” Kirby said. “We all know how Cooper acted when he was in charge as governor during the pandemic. He had the nickname ‘King Cooper,’ and we certainly don’t want the second reign of ‘King Cooper’ to come in the form of a Senate seat.”
Both Kirby and Harris said the Mecklenburg County sheriff race is also high on their radar.
Chris Cooper, a professor at Western Carolina University, says North Carolina voters are focused on affordability but will likely also be influenced by Helene recovery efforts and immigration, especially after Border Patrol’s deployment in Charlotte.
He’s also focused on the Republican Senate primary in District 26, which includes Rockingham and parts of Guilford County.ย
Phil Berger, the current leader of the Senate, is facing tough competition from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
“This is the most important primary, certainly, on the state legislative side in the history of North Carolina,” Cooper explained. “This is the man with the power. He’s had the power since 2010 and he’s done a masterful job amassing it and accumulating more and more and more toward goals that his party and he tend to agree with. But this challenge from Sam Page is real, right? Here’s a sheriff who’s been elected multiple times.”
Though Mecklenburg County residents will not participate in that race, Cooper says the implications for the state government and state budget impact everyone.
The primary election is this Tuesday, March 3.ย
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
