RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The former Democratic governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, will run for Senate in 2026.
He made the announcement on X Monday morning, saying, “I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina.”
Cooper, who was term-limited after finishing eight years as governor at the end of 2024, is widely popular in the state and has never lost a race over more than 30 years in state politics — for state Senate, attorney general, and governor. He won most of those races in years when Republicans carried the state in presidential elections.
The decision comes after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced that he would not seek a third term.
Without Tillis on the ballot, Republicans selected RNC Chair Michael Whatley to try and hold onto their slim majority in the Senate. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native who currently lives in Florida, was being talked about as a nominee, but will not run.
According to our newsgathering partners at the News and Observer, the 2026 Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive in the country.
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Cooper was also asked by Kamala Harris’s aides to be one of the running mate options she considered last year, but opted not to participate. He has long been sought by Democrats as a Senate candidate but passed on several other recruitment efforts.
During a one-on-one interview with ABC11’s Steve Daniels in December and six months before Tillis dropped out, Cooper acknowledged he may launch a campaign to become the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate race in 2026. You can watch the full interview below.
WATCH: Cooper reflects on nearly 40 years in NC politics as term winds down
It’s been an extraordinary honor and privilege” to lead the state, Gov. Roy Cooper told ABC11 as his time as governor nears its end.
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