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Ongoing story / North Carolina

The 2026 North Carolina Senate race: Roy Cooper vs. Michael Whatley

Overview · reviewed November 5, 2026

Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman whom President Donald Trump backed, in North Carolina's 2026 Senate race, flipping the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.[1][2] Cooper had held double-digit leads in polls,[3][4] and in October a linked to Senate Democratic leaders began pulling ads from the state.[5]

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Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Cooper had held double-digit leads in polls,[3][4] and in October a linked to Senate Democratic leaders began pulling ads from the state.[5]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-07-21 (UTC): 5%, 9 of 190 tracked outlets (1 left, 3 center, 5 right)Week of 2025-07-28 (UTC): 10%, 18 of 187 tracked outlets (2 left, 7 center, 9 right)Week of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): 7%, 13 of 175 tracked outlets (3 left, 7 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 545 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 480 tracked outlets (2 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 5%, 22 of 480 tracked outlets (9 left, 7 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 479 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 5%, 26 of 476 tracked outlets (8 left, 14 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 479 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 476 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 479 tracked outlets (3 left, 5 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 7%, 34 of 471 tracked outlets (10 left, 13 center, 11 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 2 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (12 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 202610131134 of 4717%
Oct 19, 202635210 of 4792%
Oct 12, 20260303 of 4761%
Oct 5, 20260123 of 4791%
Sep 28, 2026814426 of 4765%
Sep 21, 20260213 of 4791%
Sep 14, 202697622 of 4805%
Sep 7, 20262316 of 4801%
Aug 10, 20260314 of 5451%
Mar 2, 202637313 of 1757%
Jul 28, 202527918 of 18710%
Jul 21, 20251359 of 1905%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 3, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WNCT Greenville

    Democrats secure major wins in North Carolina midterms

Background

After Tillis decided not to seek reelection, Whatley, then the chairman of the Republican National Committee, prepared a run for the seat in July 2025 with Trump's backing. Trump had said he would back his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, if she ran.[6] Cooper, a Democrat, entered the race days later,[7] and former Rep. Wiley Nickel dropped his own bid and endorsed him.[8] Whatley formally launched his campaign at the end of July,[9] and both men won their parties' nominations in the March 3, 2026 primary.[2]

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

In September, national Republicans campaigned for Whatley. Trump rallied for him in Gastonia, where both men attacked Cooper's record as governor.[10][11] Trump repeated a claim, which the AP called inaccurate, blaming Cooper for Iryna Zarutska's 2025 murder.[11] Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Whatley in Greensboro days later.[12] September reporting also identified a pastor who gave the opening prayer at a recent Whatley campaign stop as a registered sex offender twice sentenced to prison for offenses involving children.[13]

The polls favored Cooper. Polls in August from Elon University and the Carolina Journal showed him with double-digit leads,[3] and an AARP poll at the end of September gave him an 11-point lead.[4] In early October, Democrats cut back their ad spending in the state as Cooper stayed comfortably ahead.[5] Trump returned to rally in Greenville in October as early voting got under way.[14] There he unveiled economic incentives for semiconductor manufacturing meant to help Whatley, as a top Republican super PAC moved its money to other races.[15] The AP declared Cooper the winner on November 3.[1]

Supporting stories (15)
  1. Democrat Roy Cooper flips North Carolina Senate seat
  2. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley clinch North Carolina Senate nods, setting up high-stakes fall fight
  3. Cooper maintains lead in NC’s US Senate race, but Whatley gaining in recognition, Elon poll shows
  4. Cooper holds 11-point lead over Whatley in North Carolina Senate race: Poll
  5. Democratic Super PAC pulls down ads in North Carolina as Roy Cooper dominates Senate race polling
  6. RNC Chair Michael Whatley will run for Senate in North Carolina
  7. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announces run for Senate in North Carolina
  8. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel ends Senate bid in North Carolina after Cooper's entry
  9. Michael Whatley, RNC chairman endorsed by Trump, launches Senate bid in North Carolina
  10. Trump to campaign in North Carolina rally with his handpicked Senate nominee Michael Whatley
  11. Trump and Whatley double down on the administration's record in North Carolina Senate contest
  12. JD Vance to campaign for Michael Whatley in Greensboro Monday
  13. Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North Carolina
  14. Trump To Rally in North Carolina as Thom Tillis Warns of GOP 'Train Wreck'
  15. Trump-backed Whatley faces balancing act in North Carolina as polls tilt blue

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 19 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Democrat Roy Cooper flips North Carolina Senate seatHeadline from Axios · 36 outlets

October 2026

  1. Trump-backed Whatley faces balancing act in North Carolina as polls tilt blueHeadline from Roll Call · 3 outlets
  2. Trump To Rally in North Carolina as Thom Tillis Warns of GOP 'Train Wreck'Headline from Newsweek · 8 outlets
  3. Barack Obama endorses Roy Cooper for North Carolina's Senate seatHeadline from WNCT Greenville · 2 outlets
  4. Cooper leads Whatley by at least 7 points in new NC Senate pollsHeadline from The Hill · 2 outlets
  5. Democratic Super PAC pulls down ads in North Carolina as Roy Cooper dominates Senate race pollingHeadline from The Hill · 3 outlets
  6. Top Senate GOP group puts pause on spending in North CarolinaHeadline from Local News 8 · 25 outlets

September 2026

  1. Cooper holds 11-point lead over Whatley in North Carolina Senate race: PollHeadline from The Hill · 3 outlets
  2. JD Vance to campaign for Michael Whatley in Greensboro MondayHeadline from FOX8 WGHP · 4 outlets
  3. Trump and Whatley double down on the administration's record in North Carolina Senate contestHeadline from FOX 46 Charlotte · 2 outlets
  4. Watch Live: President Trump to speak at rally in Gastonia, NCHeadline from Just the News · 2 outlets
  5. Trump to campaign in North Carolina rally with his handpicked Senate nominee Michael WhatleyHeadline from MyNorthwest · 20 outlets
  6. Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North CarolinaHeadline from MyNorthwest · 7 outlets

August 2026

  1. Cooper maintains lead in NC’s US Senate race, but Whatley gaining in recognition, Elon poll showsHeadline from WCNC · 4 outlets

March 2026

  1. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley clinch North Carolina Senate nods, setting up high-stakes fall fightHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 13 outlets

July 2025

  1. Michael Whatley, RNC chairman endorsed by Trump, launches Senate bid in North CarolinaHeadline from KOB 4 · 10 outlets
  2. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel ends Senate bid in North Carolina after Cooper's entryHeadline from Roll Call · 5 outlets
  3. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announces run for Senate in North CarolinaHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 10 outlets
  4. RNC Chair Michael Whatley will run for Senate in North CarolinaHeadline from UPI · 8 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →