Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, has won a seat in the US Senate, defeating Michael Whatley, a former chair of the Republican National Committee. Cooper will succeed Republican Thom Tillis, who is leaving the Senate. The result gives Democrats their first Senate seat in North Carolina in 10 years and marks the first Senate seat to switch to Democratic control in this year’s midterm elections.
Cooper’s campaign centered on reducing the cost of food, energy and housing. It also pointed to his record as governor, including Medicaid expansion and efforts to increase teacher pay. Whatley and Republican allies sought to link Cooper to violent crime, particularly in Charlotte, and raised concerns about transgender athletes and immigration.
A longtime figure in state politics, Cooper previously served as North Carolina’s attorney general and completed two terms as governor. He raised about three times as much campaign money as Whatley and led him in polling throughout the race. The Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Republican Senate campaigns, redirected its spending from the North Carolina contest to Kansas after writing off Whatley’s chances.
The Senate result came amid broader electoral challenges for Republicans running for Congress. North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature had redrawn the state’s congressional maps as part of a national push for mid-decade redistricting. Republicans nevertheless gained a congressional seat in western North Carolina, where Jamie Ager defeated the political opening created by incumbent Chuck Edwards’s decision not to seek re-election. Edwards withdrew after the House ethics committee recommended his censure following an investigation into his conduct toward two congressional staffers.
Sources: The Guardian World.