​Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember, and the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore...I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina, right where I have lived all my life. But these       are not ordinary times. - Politico, 7/28/25

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To hear directly from former Governor Cooper, watch this short video:

Roy Cooper on the role of health care in N.C. Senate Race

BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

North Carolina native Roy Cooper earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He practiced law for 18 years before serving in the North Carolina House (1987–1991) and State Senate (1991–2001), where he was Majority Leader from 1997 to 2000.

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Elected State Attorney General in 2000, Cooper served four terms through 2016. He was Governor from 2017 to 2025, known for bipartisan collaboration with Republican supermajorities in the legislature. After leaving office, he was a Fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health before announcing his U.S. Senate candidacy in July 2025.

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ON THE ISSUES

Cooper’s record includes raising teacher pay, expanding children’s health coverage, creating jobs while combating employment discrimination, advancing clean energy policy, improving public safety, addressing the opioid crisis, expanding Medicaid, and strengthening disaster preparedness and recovery.

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He strongly supports reproductive rights, workplace diversity, transgender and LGBTQ+ protections, expansion of the Affordable Care Act, progressive taxation, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, free trade expansion, easier voter registration, and prioritizing green energy.

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POLITICS IN NORTH CAROLINA

​North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House seats are currently split 10 Republicans to 4 Democrats. Both Senate seats are held by Republicans Thom Tillis (since 2015) and Ted Budd (since 2023); Tillis, a frequent Trump critic, is retiring in 2025.

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While North Carolina has leaned Republican in presidential elections since 1980, it usually elects Democratic governors—only four Republicans have held the post since Reconstruction.

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Gov. Cooper will face former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. The race is rated Toss up by both The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.