Roy Cooper, 75th governor of North Carolina

July 28. Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate this morning in a video posted to X, the latest move in his nearly four decades of public service.

Cooper began his career in the state House in 1987, moved to the state Senate in 1991 where he became Majority Leader, and then served as North Carolina’s Attorney General from 2001 to 2017. He was elected governor in 2016 and reelected in 2020, serving the maximum two terms in office.

Cooper announced his candidacy in a two-plus minute video with a campaign message that focuses largely on small businesses, the middle class and healthcare.

The 2026 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina is shaping up to be a major battleground. Cooper joins Wiley Nickel, a former democratic congressman who declared earlier in the year.

On the Republican side, RNC Chair Michael Whatley, who has yet to announce his candidacy, is expected to run with the backing of president Donald Trump. Whatley will face off against Andy Nilsson, a retired businessman; Don Brown, a former JAG officer; and Brooks Agnew, an author and engineer; in the Republican primary.

Incumbent GOP Senator Thom Tillis, from Huntersville, choose not to seek re-election.