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US Politics

Democrat Roy Cooper wins North Carolina Senate race, flipping a Republican seat

Former governor Cooper beat Trump-backed Michael Whatley for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis's seat, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats for control.

Roy Cooper speaking at a rally in Durham, North Carolina, in 2026
Roy Cooper speaking at a rally in Durham, North Carolina, in 2026. Photo: NetwonsBucket, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
27 news outlets reported this
Liberal12 outletsa Democratic wave building on election nightCenter5 outletsCooper's win as a signal for Senate controlConservative10 outletsA blowout win in a state Trump carried
Published 3 min read
Overview

Democrat Roy Cooper, North Carolina's former two-term governor, won the state's US race on Tuesday, Nov. 3. He defeated Republican Michael Whatley, the former chair of the . Cooper flips the seat of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking another term after clashing with President Trump over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

North Carolina has not elected a Democratic senator since 2008. Whatley, who had Trump's backing, had never held elected office. Cooper ran on a "Make Stuff Cost Less" message about food, energy and housing, while Whatley campaigned on Trump's agenda, crime and illegal immigration.

Republican groups had moved campaign money elsewhere before the vote. With roughly 62% of the vote counted, Cooper led 64.6% to 33.7%, according to NBC News as cited by The Blaze. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control of the Senate.

Elsewhere on election night, Sen. Jon Ossoff was projected to win re-election in Georgia. Roll Call, citing the Associated Press, reports that Rep. Chris Pappas won in New Hampshire. Axios says Cooper will take office in January.

Key figures
  • 64.6% to 33.7% Cooper over Whatley with roughly 62% of the vote in, per NBC News — The Blaze
  • net gain of four seats what Democrats need to flip the Senate — Forbes
  • $18 million Senate Leadership Fund spending canceled in October, per AdImpact — The Epoch Times
  • 66.8% of the vote to Whatley's 31.6% Cooper's share with 50% of ballots counted, per the AP — Daily Caller

Three sides of the story

Liberal12 outlets

a Democratic wave building on election night

The Independent leads with an "early Election Night taste of a big blue tsunami," placing Cooper's win beside Ossoff in Georgia, Rep. Jared Moskowitz in Florida and Zach Dembo in Kentucky. It quotes the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's Heather Williams on a broken Florida supermajority. The Guardian leads with Cooper as the state's first Democratic senator in 10 years and details his affordability campaign.

It adds that Republican efforts to link him to violent crime in Charlotte did not work. CBS News describes the war with Iran as unpopular, notes high gas prices, and says Whatley's closeness to Trump did not appear to help. Axios calls Whatley Trump's "handpicked candidate" and describes his claim about a Charlotte stabbing suspect as debunked.

NBC News carries the projection as a short video within a package of results from Florida, Texas, Georgia and Michigan.

Center5 outlets

Cooper's win as a signal for Senate control

BBC News relays CBS's projection that Cooper beat Whatley, and lists the costs his campaign targeted, from groceries to childcare. Roll Call groups the result with Georgia and New Hampshire as "early wins" for Senate Democrats. It calls Cooper's victory a political blow to Trump and notes the president has been to the state twice since Labor Day, with rallies in Gastonia and Greenville.

It quotes Cooper saying the administration made cost of living "so much worse." The Seattle Times, in a piece published before the result, frames the race as a test of Trump's standing amid frustration over and the Iran war. It describes Cooper as sticking to a "centrist brand" built on the economy.

Forbes headlines its live updates with Cooper as the first Senate seat flipped. The Hill reports Decision Desk HQ's projection and says Cooper led Whatley by about 35 points, a figure it gives while the count was still partial.

Conservative10 outlets

A blowout win in a state Trump carried

The Blaze says Cooper "sails to victory," citing NBC News vote totals, and notes that Trump rallied against him. The Daily Mail calls it a "blue wave" and says Whatley "suffers embarrassing fumble." It cites Cooper's roughly $20 million third-quarter fundraising against Whatley's $2 million, and Tillis's criticism of Trump.

The Daily Caller headlines a "blowout margin," cites the AP for 66.8% to 31.6%, and ties rising costs to the Iran war. The Center Square notes Republicans had won five straight Senate races since 2008 and recounts Cooper's record 328 and 104 vetoes as governor. The Epoch Times lays out both candidates' platforms and says the Senate Leadership Fund canceled $18 million in October.

Where outlets disagree
All sources: 32 articles from 27 outlets

Liberal (17)

Center (5)

Conservative (10)

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