Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, according to the reported results. The state had been considered one of Democrats’ leading opportunities to flip a Senate seat, and the contest followed Republican Thom Tillis’s decision not to seek reelection, as reported in the election coverage.
Cooper served four terms as North Carolina’s attorney general before becoming governor, a role he held from 2017 to 2025. Described as a moderate, he won two gubernatorial elections even as Donald Trump carried the state.
Whatley, a Trump ally and former chair of the Republican National Committee, built his career within the Republican Party but had not previously held elected office. North Carolina has voted Republican in its past four presidential elections, while Cooper’s gubernatorial victories showed his ability to attract voters beyond the Democratic base.
Sources: G1.