# Roy Cooper **Roy Cooper** is the former two-term Governor of North Carolina (2017–2025) and former state Attorney General (2001–2017), now the 2026 Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring [[Thom Tillis]]. One of the most popular Democrats in North Carolina history, he won both his gubernatorial races (2016, 2020) in cycles Trump carried the state, making him the Democrats' strongest possible recruit for this seat. ## 2026 Senate race See [[NC-Sen-2026]] for full race context. Cook moved the race from Toss Up to **Lean Democratic** on April 13, 2026 — making it, alongside Maine, the Democrats' best pickup opportunity. - **Primary**: Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary essentially unopposed (~92%). - **General**: Faces Republican [[Michael Whatley]], the Trump-endorsed former RNC chair who has never held elected office (and whom 36% of voters didn't recognize). - **Polling**: Consistent 6–14 point leads — Emerson Cooper 47/Whatley 41 (+6); Catawba-YouGov 48/34 (+14); Carolina Journal 49/41 (+8); NC Newsline double digits — including **+19 among independents (47–28)**. - **Money**: Pre-existing statewide donor network from 2016/2020; combined candidate and outside spending is projected at **$150M+**. ## Background Spent a decade and a half as state AG before two terms as governor, where he repeatedly clashed with a Republican legislature and built a brand as a pragmatic, broadly popular executive who outran the top of the Democratic ticket. ## Why he matters for the KB Cooper is the marquee Democratic recruit of the 2026 cycle — proof of how a popular term-limited governor can convert statewide brand into a flippable Senate seat in a Trump-won state. His race against [[Michael Whatley]] is a direct test of an elected-experience Democrat versus a Trump-anointed party operative. ## Related - [[NC-Sen-2026]] - [[Thom Tillis]] - [[Michael Whatley]] - [[Donald Trump]]