Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Republican nominee Michael Whatley have secured their party's nominations in one of this year's most competitive Senate races, setting up a contest that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.
Both candidates easily won their primaries this week, with Whatley earning former President Donald Trump's full endorsement after serving as Trump's chosen Republican National Committee chairman. The race is expected to draw hundreds of millions in campaign spending, as North Carolina is critical to Democratic efforts to pick up the four seats needed for a Senate majority.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats are framing Cooper as a proven vote-getter with four decades of winning campaigns across various state offices, emphasizing his ability to appeal to moderate voters in a battleground state.
Cooper himself has sought to thread a careful needle on Trump, stating he would work with the administration when it made sense while criticizing policies he says hurt working-class and middle-class North Carolinians. "Look, I'm going to be a strong, independent senator for North Carolina," Cooper said Wednesday.
The campaign has highlighted Cooper's accomplishments as governor, particularly his expansion of Medicaid coverage through the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Democrats note Cooper has never lost a campaign for state office.
Progressive supporters argue Cooper's approach of focusing on kitchen-table issues like health care costs and economic opportunity positions him well against a first-time candidate with deep party ties but limited voter exposure.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans are attempting to frame Cooper as out of step with North Carolina voters, using a strategy that has proven successful against past Democratic Senate candidates.
Whatley has embraced his alliance with Trump, saying: "His leadership has changed our country, and I am proud to stand with him in the fight to secure our border, to strengthen our economy and put America first."
Republicans are highlighting Cooper's policy positions, particularly his veto of legislation that would have required sheriffs to cooperate with immigration agents. "Roy Cooper chose criminal illegal aliens over North Carolina communities," Whatley said during his nomination acceptance speech.
The campaign is also focusing on crime, pointing to last summer's fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train by a suspect with more than a dozen prior criminal arrests. Trump referenced the killing during his State of the Union address.
Former Republican Governor Pat McCrory, who lost narrowly to Cooper in 2016, acknowledged the race will test Cooper's ability to withstand negative attacks he has not faced in previous campaigns. "Looser rules on campaign spending have changed the game," McCrory said.
What the Numbers Show
North Carolina has a unique electoral history that favors Republicans in Senate races but Democrats in gubernatorial contests. The state has elected Democratic governors for over a century, ceding the office to only three Republicans during that time.
However, Republican presidential candidates have won North Carolina every election except 1976 and 2008. The last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was also in 2008.
Trump won North Carolina in all three of his presidential campaigns. Whatley, a former political staffer, lobbyist and party leader, faces challenges with voter name recognition as a first-time candidate.
Kevin Cattell, 71, a Republican voter, said he wants representatives who "support and see the value and the vision that President Trump is putting forward."
The Bottom Line
The Cooper-Whatley race represents a test of whether a mainstream Democrat can win a federal statewide race in a state that has trended Republican in presidential and Senate elections. Cooper's strategy involves criticizing specific administration policies while avoiding harsh personal attacks on Trump, a calculation aimed at retaining crossover appeal.
Whatley must leverage Trump's endorsement to maximize Republican turnout while overcoming his lack of personal name recognition. The race will likely hinge on whether Cooper can replicate his gubernatorial coalition in a federal contest, or whether Republican attacks on his progressive positions and handling of issues like crime and immigration prove decisive.
With hundreds of millions in spending expected, the race will serve as a key bellwether for Democratic chances at reclaiming Senate control and Republican efforts to expand their majority.