Cooper wins NC Senate race after spending gap widens

North Carolina voters elected Democrat Roy Cooper to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, a result that secures a key chamber flip for his party. The Associated Press called the race, ending a contest that had drawn intense national attention and heavy spending. Cooper, who served as governor from 2017 to 2025, becomes the first Democrat from the state to win a Senate seat since 2008.

Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair. President Trump selected Whatley to replace retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who stepped aside in 2025 after a primary threat from the president. Whatley ran for office for the first time in this race.

Money played a decisive role in the outcome. Cooper and national Democratic groups significantly outspent Whatley and Republican opponents. In the weeks before the election, national Republican organizations pulled television ads from North Carolina and shifted their budgets to other competitive states, including Kansas.

The two campaigns focused on different themes. Cooper promoted affordability through a tour he branded as the 'Make Stuff Cost Less' campaign. Whatley centered his message on crime and immigration. He specifically criticized Cooper over a pandemic-era legal settlement that released inmates from state prisons to reduce overcrowding.

Polling data indicated the economy was the top concern for North Carolina voters, not crime. Republican strategist Patrick Sebastian, who did not work on the Whatley campaign, said the party missed a strategic opportunity. 'Really it's the economy is Issue A and then Issue B is probably government corruption, that people are following the most,' Sebastian said. He noted that voters at stores like Walmart are seeing their buying power drop to 80% due to rising prices.

Cooper's lead in polling widened over the course of the race. Whatley never led in the polls. In the final weeks, President Trump and Vice President Vance held multiple rallies in the state. Sebastian said those visits likely boosted base turnout for Republican voters but were not enough to change the outcome. Tillis, who announced his retirement in 2025, spent the final campaign period promoting a new book criticizing fellow Republicans rather than campaigning for Whatley.

The race was initially projected to be one of the most competitive and expensive in the country. Cooper's victory gives Democrats a new voice in the Senate from a state that has historically leaned Republican in recent decades.