Watch Cooper Speak After Flipping North Carolina Senate Seat for Democrats

Cooper wins open Senate seat

Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, defeated Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair. President Trump had chosen Whatley to run for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.

Cooper served as governor from 2017 to 2024. His election marks the first time since 2008 that North Carolina has elected a Democrat to the Senate.

Affordability shaped Cooper’s campaign

Cooper’s campaign centered on the cost of living, promoting his visits across the state as the “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour. Cooper and national Democratic groups spent substantially more than Whatley and Republican groups.

Whatley focused on crime and immigration. He criticized Cooper over a pandemic-era legal settlement that released some state prison inmates to ease overcrowding, while polls showed the economy was voters’ leading concern.

Campaign spending and polling

The race was initially viewed as one of the country’s most competitive and expensive Senate contests. Whatley never led in polling, and Cooper’s lead increased as the campaign continued.

A few weeks before Election Day, national Republican organizations withdrew television advertising from North Carolina and shifted the money to other battlegrounds, including Kansas. Trump and Vice President Vance later held multiple rallies in the state.

Republican strategist weighs in

Republican strategist Patrick Sebastian, who did not work on Whatley’s campaign, said the candidate should have focused more on the economy. Sebastian said voters were also closely following government corruption.

Sebastian said Trump and Vance’s visits probably helped Republican turnout, but did not rescue Whatley’s campaign. Cooper’s campaign portrayed Whatley as an oil-industry lobbyist who would support Trump’s agenda in the Senate.

Tillis had announced retirement

Tillis said in 2025 that he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger. The disagreement followed Tillis’s refusal to support the president’s tax cut and spending bill. Rather than campaign for Whatley, Tillis promoted a new book criticizing fellow Republicans.