Democrat Roy Cooper won North Carolina’s closely watched Senate race Tuesday, flipping a Republican-held seat and dealing the GOP a setback in the fight for control of Washington.
The former governor defeated Republican Michael Whatley in the contest to replace retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, delivering a pickup Democrats had made central to their Senate strategy.
The open seat had been among Republicans’ most vulnerable heading into Election Day. Cooper entered the race with statewide name recognition and a long record of winning elections, while Whatley sought to turn his ties to President Donald Trump into a victory of his own.
Trump endorsed Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman who also previously led the North Carolina Republican Party. Whatley campaigned on supporting the president’s agenda, including his immigration crackdown.
But Cooper presented a difficult opponent in a state where voters have repeatedly split their tickets.
He won his gubernatorial elections in the same years North Carolina backed Trump for president. Before moving into the governor’s mansion, Cooper served as the state’s attorney general.
During the Senate campaign, Cooper emphasized costs, health care and public education while portraying himself as willing to work across party lines. Whatley challenged that image and attacked Cooper’s record on crime and the response to Hurricane Helene.
Cooper consistently led in polling and fundraising heading into the election. Major race handicappers rated the contest as favoring Democrats, putting pressure on Republicans to defend a seat they could ill afford to lose.
His victory breaks a Democratic drought in North Carolina Senate elections stretching back to Kay Hagan’s win. Tillis later defeated Hagan to take the seat Cooper has now reclaimed for Democrats.
The result gives Democrats a boost in their push for a Senate majority, while leaving Republicans looking elsewhere to offset the loss.
