Former Gov. Roy Cooper is officially running for U.S. Senate.
"I've had enough. I've thought on it and prayed about it, and I've decided: I want to serve as your next United States senator because even now I still believe our best days are ahead of us," Cooper said in a video released by the campaign.
Cooper is running for the seat currently held by Republican Thom Tillis, who is not seeking re-election. The seat is widely expected to be one of the most competitive in the 2026 cycle.
A Nash County native and two-term governor, Cooper also served four terms as North Carolina's attorney general.
The announcement video indicates that Cooper's campaign would focus initially on affordability and health insurance. During Cooper's second term as governor, North Carolina legislators agreed to expand Medicaid to about 670,000 North Carolinians, an effort Cooper had long supported.
"The decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore," Cooper said.
Cooper's remarks in the ad were very similar to the ones he made Saturday night at the N.C. Democratic Party's Unity Dinner, where he teased that the formal announcement was imminent. In that speech, Cooper said that politicians in Washington are more focused on serving billionaires than typical Americans.
"They are running up our debt, they are disrespecting our veterans, they are cutting help for the hungry and they’re ripping away healthcare from millions of people, all to give tax breaks to the millionaires and billionaires. And it's not right," Cooper said Saturday.
GOP response
Republicans were quick to attack Cooper, with messages beginning within moments of the long-anticipated announcement.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee focused on electing Republicans, called Cooper "Radical Roy" in a press release that indicated attacks on Cooper's record could focus on disaster recovery and transgender issues.
"Chuck Schumer might be celebrating, but North Carolinians are still reeling from extreme liberal Roy Cooper’s botched response to Hurricane Helene that left over 100 people dead, his pardons of violent criminals, and his vetoes that allowed boys in girls’ sports and forced higher taxes on working families," Alex Latham, the Senate Leadership Fund's executive director, wrote in a press release.
There are two announced Republicans in the race. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, a North Carolina native who helped Donald Trump win the state's electoral college votes twice while chairing the state Republican Party, is expected to enter the race. Whatley would have President Donald Trump's support, Trump wrote in a social media post last week.
Democrats excited about announcement
Democrats, meanwhile, are thrilled about Cooper's entry into the race.
In a Monday morning statement, U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Wake County Democrat, endorsed Cooper.
"I have known Roy Cooper for more than three decades. He is a leader of uncommon integrity who has dedicated his life to fighting for the people of North Carolina," wrote Ross, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2016.
In addition to Medicaid expansion, Ross pointed to North Carolina's economic gains while Cooper was governor, as well as the state's response to last fall's Helene as reasons for her endorsement.
After Cooper's remarks Saturday evening, N.C. House Minority Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, said Cooper's candidacy was "the greatest news I could have gotten."
"Governor Cooper is an amazing public servant. ... He's not the kind of person that puts his finger in the air to figure out what would be the coolest thing to say. He's the kind of person that says, 'What do people need right now?' and makes the hard decisions," Reives said.
Legislative Democrats also urged Cooper to avoid being tripped up by culture war issues to instead focus on matters that will impact voters' bank accounts.
Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch, D-Wake, said Democrats should focus on the how inflation is driving up the cost of living and how the potential loss of benefits could impact North Carolinians.
"I think he knows that we need to talk about table-top issues. You've heard me throughout this session talk about (how) culture wars are not helpful. It is only distracting and it doesn't bring any of us together," Batch said.
Cooper, Reives said, was greatly successful at boosting the state's economy. During a Senate campaign, Reives said, he would tell Cooper to keep focusing on improving people's quality of life, housing and education.
"None of the other stuff. Don't get baited by all of these national discussions and national issues about all kinds of things that are meant to divide us," Reives said.
