Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Victory Hands Senate Seat to Democrats

WHO:

Fox News - Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s Senate race.

CBS News Politics - Cooper defeated Whatley; Republican Sen. Thom Tillis had opted not to seek reelection.

NBC News - Democrat Cooper was projected to win the North Carolina Senate race.

Alternet - Cooper was a twice-elected former governor who left office with high approval ratings.

Alternet - Whatley was the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, and a former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. The article says he had not previously run for elected office.

Alternet - President Trump hoped his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, would take the Senate seat; she said she would not seek election, citing family priorities.

Alternet - National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, endorsed Whatley, urged senators to contribute, and helped organize fundraising.

NY Post - Cooper’s victory ended the GOP’s winning streak in North Carolina.

WHAT:

CBS News Politics - Cooper’s win flipped the Senate seat to Democrats.

NBC News - The network projected Cooper would win the open Senate seat.

Alternet - The Associated Press and MS NOW called the race for Cooper.

Fox News - GOP-aligned groups pulled spending from the race.

Alternet - Polling showed Cooper 10 points ahead of Whatley by early to mid October.

WHERE:

CBS News Politics - The Senate race was in North Carolina.

Alternet - Lara Trump said serving in the Senate would require moving to Washington with her two young children. She also said she had previously declined a possible appointment to the Florida Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio.

WHY:

Alternet - Lara Trump cited family priorities for not seeking election and said serving as a senator with two young children would be difficult.

Alternet - The article says national Republicans sought to unite behind Whatley and support him against Cooper, a strong Democratic recruit.

Alternet - The article describes the Republican strategy as relying on party infrastructure and President Trump’s backing to offset Whatley’s lack of electoral experience.

HOW:

Alternet - Republicans selected Whatley after Lara Trump declined to seek the seat; national Republicans consolidated support behind him.

Alternet - Whatley had a fundraising advantage over his Republican primary challengers and relationships with local Republican officials across North Carolina.

Fox News - Top GOP-aligned groups withdrew spending about a month before the election.

Alternet - In a 2025 interview with TIME, Lara Trump said serving in the Senate would be difficult because of her two young children and the prospect of moving them to Washington.

(UPDATED November 4, 2026 02:05 UTC)

Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, flipping North Carolina’s Senate seat to Democrats. The victory ended Republicans’ winning streak in the state and secured a major Democratic gain. Whatley’s campaign lost support as Republican-aligned groups withdrew spending before the election.