Roy Cooper seeks North Carolina U.S. Senate seat in 2026

Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina, is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in the 2026 general election. He faces Republican Michael D. Whatley, Green Party candidate Michael Dublin and Libertarian Shannon W. Bray, according to BallotReady.

Cooper says he is running to "make stuff cost less," citing rising prices for groceries, rent, utilities and health care, according to WLOS.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. Senate, North Carolina
Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
Education: Bachelor's degree and law degree, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hometown: Nash County, North Carolina
Family: Cooper and his wife, Kristin, raised three daughters in Rocky Mount, according to his campaign website

Experience and public service

Cooper was born and raised in Nash County, where he attended public schools and worked summers on a farm, according to his campaign website. He practiced law in Rocky Mount for 18 years, representing individuals and small businesses, the campaign says.

He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991 and in the North Carolina State Senate from 1991 to 2001, according to his campaign. He served as North Carolina attorney general from 2000 to 2016 and as governor from 2017 to 2025, according to BallotReady.

Cooper says he taught Sunday school and tutored students in local public schools for years, according to his campaign website.

On the issues

Economy and cost of living: Cooper called tariffs "chaotic and irrational" and said they raise costs for farmers on fertilizer and equipment, with those increases passed to consumers, according to the Wilmington Star-News. He said he would vote to roll back tariffs, stating that constitutional authority over trade rests with Congress. He also unveiled a plan to lower childcare costs through higher wages for childcare workers, apprenticeships, reduced regulations on facilities and an expanded Child Care and Dependent Tax Credit, the Star-News reported.

Health care: Cooper says affordable health care is at risk due to what he describes as attacks on Medicaid and Medicare, expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and insurance company practices, according to WLOS. As governor, Cooper says he reached a bipartisan agreement to expand Medicaid, which by early 2025 had brought coverage to more than 650,000 North Carolinians. He also says he enacted a plan to incentivize hospitals to relieve more than $4 billion in medical debt for 2 million eligible residents, according to his campaign website.

Disaster relief: Cooper says he wants to "recreate FEMA, because clearly, it has been almost destroyed," calling a functioning federal disaster agency critical, according to WLOS.

Governance: Cooper says he would work with the president when possible, stand up to him when needed and challenge leaders in his own party when he disagrees, according to WLOS.

Education and workforce: Cooper says he proposed NC GROW (Getting Ready for Opportunities in the Workforce), a scholarship and aid program for community college degrees and job training, as part of a goal to ensure 2 million working-age North Carolinians hold a degree or credential beyond high school by 2030, according to BallotReady.