Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the race for the open North Carolina Senate seat, NBC News projects.
Cooper’s victory marks a crucial turning point for Democrats as they attempt to take control of the Senate. The party must win four net seats to win a majority. It’s also the first time a Democrat has won a Senate seat in North Carolina since 2008.
Cooper will succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who became increasingly critical of President Donald Trump during his second term and chose not to seek re-election.
The race was initially expected to be one of the most hotly contested in the Senate landscape. But in the final weeks of the campaign, a Republican super PAC reversed its ad spending in the race to focus more on protecting seats in more conservative territory as Cooper took a solid lead in the polls.
The abandonment of North Carolina as a frontline battlefield resulted from several factors. First, Cooper, a popular former two-term governor, enjoyed high profile, while Republicans had few attacks to launch. A prized recruit for national Democrats, Cooper also avoided a contentious primary and focused his campaign almost entirely on the cost of living, a major concern among voters.
Whatley, who previously led the state party and gained national recognition as RNC chairman in the 2024 election, had never run for office before. Trump, who urged him to launch a bid for the seat, and Vice President JD Vance repeatedly rallied behind Whatley in the final stretch to give him a boost.
But even Trump has signaled in recent weeks that Cooper is likely to win. “He’s going to be your senator,” Trump said at an October rally in the state. “And it’s crazy.”
With voters unhappy with the economy and the war in Iran, Whatley could not escape or distance himself from an increasingly unpopular president in this key battleground state.
It was also the first Senate midterm race to take place in North Carolina with Trump in office, an environment that would be more difficult for Republicans given the traditional backlash toward the party that controls the White House. The state did not hold a Senate race in 2018, Trump’s last midterm.
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