Roy Cooper for Senate? Former Democratic North Carolina Gov announces bold 2026 move

Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina, 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."

“I want to serve as your next United States Senator because, even now, I still believe our best days are ahead of us,” Cooper said. Cooper was the 75th Governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025.

Roy Cooper to run for Senate

On Saturday night in Raleigh, Cooper hinted at running for the seat held by retiring Senator Thom Tillis. During his remarks at the NC Democrats’ Unity Dinner, Cooper talked about policy accomplishments, including Medicaid expansion and teacher pay raises. He also argued that more needs to be done to address wealth disparities.


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“I never really wanted to go to Washington,” Cooper said in his announcement video. “I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina right here, where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times.”

Cooper’s decision comes after significant speculation that he would enter following his eight years as governor in the battleground state. He’ll be trying to win the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R), who announced last month that he wouldn’t seek another term in office

Who is Roy Cooper?

North Carolina's Democratic Governor Roy Cooper entered the US Senate race on Monday. This is his latest bid for office in a lengthy political career.Cooper, 68, is now the most prominent candidate in the race that is drawing national attention and is expected to break spending records with Democrats rallying around his campaign.

Cooper served an unprecedented four terms as state attorney general over 16 years before he unseated then-incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory (R) to be elected governor in 2016. He won that election and reelection in 2020, by a larger margin, despite President Trump carrying the state in the presidential election in both years.

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Cooper has never lost an election and won the governor’s mansion twice: in 2016 and 2020. He started his career as an attorney after going to UNC-Chapel Hill for both undergraduate and law school, reports News Observer.

Before Roy Cooper became Governor, he served in both the House, beginning in 1987, and Senate, starting in 1991. After 10 years in the Senate he was elected, and spent four terms, as attorney general. Cooper chaired the Democratic Governors Association in 2022.

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In 2024, it was widely speculated that Roy Cooper would be vice presidential contender for Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, following President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the race. Roy Cooper also faced backlash for the number of pardons and commutations he issued as governor — 34 pardons and 43 commutations — the most this century for the state.

Although Cooper is a well-known figure, he faces an uphill battle in a state where Democrats haven’t secured a Senate seat since 2008. While the party has performed better in gubernatorial races, it has repeatedly struggled to translate that success to federal contests—despite persistent hopes of a breakthrough.