Roy Cooper enters North Carolina Senate race in win for Democrats
by Jared Gans - 07/28/25 8:13 AM ET
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is entering the state’s Senate race, a recruitment win for Democrats who hope that the popular former governor will give them a strong chance in one of the most competitive races next year.
He announced his intention Monday morning in a social media post that leaned into attracting middle-class voters. “It wasn’t always this hard,” he said in the video launching his bid.
“I never really wanted to go to Washington. 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 said.
Cooper’s decision comes after significant speculation that he would enter after 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.
Democrats were already hopeful about their chances of picking up the seat next year as Tillis was seen as potentially vulnerable. He seemed to potentially be on track to lose reelection in 2020 but pulled off a narrow victory after the Democratic candidate faced controversy stemming from an affair.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5390660-roy-cooper-north-carolina-senate-race/
