North Carolina U.S. Senate Race: Which Party Wins in 2026

Early voting opens Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31 in North Carolina, a key battleground in the 2025 midterms. The marquee race is the open U.S. Senate seat left by retiring Republican Thom Tillis, pitting Democrat and former Gov. Roy Cooper against Republican Michael Whatley, the Trump-backed former RNC chair, with Green and Libertarian candidates also on the ballot. Democrats are targeting the seat as part of a broader push to flip the four seats needed for Senate control.

The ballot also includes competitive U.S. House races, including Charlotte-area districts held by Reps. Alma Adams, Tim Moore and Mark Harris, plus down-ballot contests for the N.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, state legislature, and Mecklenburg County offices. Voters will also weigh in on constitutional amendments covering voter ID, income tax caps and property tax limits, along with Charlotte bond measures for transportation, housing and neighborhood improvements. Election Day is Nov. 3, with North Carolina's results seen as a bellwether for national party control in Washington.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a "mini budget" bill that would have expanded private school voucher funding and allowed county sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Cooper defended the veto by calling private school vouchers "the biggest threat to public schools in decades," a move that leaves roughly 54,000 students on school choice waiting lists without funding while also blocking the sheriff-ICE cooperation provisions. The bill had been negotiated for months between the Republican-led state legislature and Democrats.

Cooper is running for the Democratic nomination for North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat and currently leads in primary polling. His likely general-election opponent, Republican Michael Whatley, has criticized Cooper's public safety record, citing repeated releases of criminal offenders during his tenure, including the man charged in the killing of Iryna Zarutska. The veto is expected to become a flashpoint in the Senate race, with Republicans framing it as evidence of Cooper's stance on immigration enforcement and education policy.

Former Governor Roy Cooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina's US Senate race, built on a message focused on affordability and healthcare costs. Cooper, who spent six years securing Medicaid expansion from a GOP-controlled legislature, is campaigning against Trump-backed healthcare cuts and the rollback of Obamacare subsidies, which he blames for rising premiums. Republican super PACs have pulled TV ad spending from the state to shore up other races, and Trump plans to rally for Whatley, a political newcomer and former RNC chair. With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, Democrats need the North Carolina seat as part of a broader path to control the chamber, and strategists see Cooper's approach as a potential model for other moderate Democrats.

Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican Michael Whatley in the race to fill the state's open US Senate seat, with an October SurveyUSA poll showing him ahead by 14 points. Cooper, who never lost an election in four decades of public service, has centered his campaign on affordability, pointing to his years-long push to expand Medicaid and attacking GOP-driven healthcare premium increases tied to Trump's tax and budget legislation. Senate Republicans' top super PAC has pulled TV ads from the state to shore up other races, while Trump plans to rally for Whatley. Democrats need to flip four Senate seats to win control, making North Carolina pivotal, and some see Cooper's approach as a model other moderate Democrats could replicate.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned with North Carolina Democrats in Charlotte and Monroe over Labor Day weekend, part of a four-day "Take It Back" tour through Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina focused on voting rights, redistricting and civil rights. In Charlotte, Newsom joined volunteers canvassing for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper, state Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls and other Democratic candidates. He then traveled to Monroe, more heavily Republican territory, for a rally with state party chair Anderson Clayton and other candidates.

Monroe's Republican mayor, Robert Burns, publicly framed the visit as proof the town and state have become politically significant, warning Democrats they "should be worried." The tour follows an earlier Newsom stop in Rock Hill, South Carolina, tied to his memoir, which fueled ongoing speculation about a potential 2028 Democratic presidential bid. His visits add a prominent national figure to a competitive midterm cycle in the Carolinas.

President Trump campaigned in Greenville, North Carolina, urging voters to back Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who trails former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper by a wide margin in polling for the seat of retiring Senator Thom Tillis. The race could help determine Senate control after the November 3 midterms. National Republican groups, including the Senate Leadership Fund, have pulled spending from the contest, and early voting data show Democrats casting ballots at twice the rate of Republicans in the state. Trump's approval rating has fallen to 31%, with 68% of Americans disapproving of his economic handling amid rising gas prices. Competitive House races in the state have also drawn tens of millions in outside spending.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom capped a multi-state "take it back tour" with eight public events across South Carolina, plus stops in Alabama and North Carolina, intensifying speculation about a 2028 Democratic presidential run. In North Carolina, Newsom campaigned for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper in Charlotte and rallied Labor Day weekend crowds in Monroe, urging Democrats to focus on the 2026 midterms rather than 2028. He accused Trump of ruthlessness, corruption and attempting to "nationalize" elections through mail-in voting restrictions, telling supporters it's time to "fight fire with fire." Newsom told the Associated Press a 2028 decision could come before year's end.

Voters and strategists increasingly frame California itself as Newsom's central liability, with critics warning his state's liberal image could hurt him against rivals like Josh Shapiro and Pete Buttigieg. Republicans, including North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley and local officials, mocked the visits with "Wrong Coast" signs and accused him of trying to "California" their states. Newsom's team counters that his progressive record on health care, wages and climate could be an asset in a Democratic primary. South Carolina, hosting Democrats' first 2028 primary, remains a key early proving ground alongside hopefuls like Cory Booker.