RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) - Former Governor Roy Cooper will face off against Michael Whatley to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate in the November 2026 midterm elections.

Cooper, whom Democrats are hoping will flip Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis' seat blue, swept the votes in the state's Democratic primary, with none of the other Democratic challengers holding the same degree of name recognition. 

Cooper, who was term-limited after eight years in the governor's office, served as the state's attorney general for 16 years after working in both chambers of the state's General Assembly. He was elected governor in 2026 and reelected in 2020, holding onto the governor's role during elections in which the purple state supported President Donald Trump. 

In his campaign, he's emphasized the need for affordable health insurance. Cooper signed a Medicaid expansion bill after years of pushback in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, expanding coverage to over 600,000 residents who didn't qualify for traditional Medicaid or heavily subsidized private insurance. 

"I didn't plan to go to Washington," Cooper said on stage Tuesday in Raleigh. "All of my public service has been here in North Carolina, because this is where I wanted to serve, right here at home. But these are not ordinary times. Everyday people are being left behind, and we see the chaos that's coming out of Washington, only making it worse. The cost of groceries, childcare, utilities, rent, health care skyrocketed ... I knew that I needed to run for the Senate seat because Washington D.C. is broken and North Carolinians are struggling because of it." 

He will run for the seat against Republican primary winner Michael Whatley, who beat out six other candidates. Whatley, who previously served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2024, was endorsed by Trump before candidate filing began, after his daughter-in-law Lara Trump declined to run for the seat. Whatley has heavily emphasized his history with Trump, and has been running on a pledge to make an America "where you can buy a home, raise a family and see your kids do better than you did." 

"I announced my campaign for the United States Senate because North Carolina is home," Whatley said in his acceptance speech Tuesday in Charlotte. "And because I want every child to have the same opportunities that I've had to grow up, get an education, to create a career, get married and raise a family in safety and security." 

Both Whatley and Cooper have traded jabs on social media, looking forward to a fall match-up.

The general election in the U.S. Senate race, which the Cook Political Report considers to be a toss up, is anticipated to be one of the most expensive races in history, with an expected $500 million in campaign funding. It could be crucial to flip the U.S. Senate blue, as Democrats strive to gain four seats to take back the majority from Republicans. 

The last time Democrats in the state won a U.S. Senate seat was in 2008. 

Congressional District 4

In Congressional District 4, the race between Valerie Foushee and Nida Allam in the Democratic primary was too close to call as of 11 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner is expected to secure the congressional seat in the general election. 

There was no Republican primary in the race, so the Democratic winner will run against Republican Mahesh Ganorkar. The Democratic primary is expected to determine the results of the fall election, because the urban area, which encompasses Durham and Chapel Hill, is so heavily Democratic.  

"The primary is all that matters," Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, told Courthouse News. "One result of gerrymandering, of course, is that the majority party gets the majority of seats. The other effect is that the seats the minority party gets, they get with huge margins, and that's what we've seen in this district. This district was drawn so no Republican can have a chance."

Foushee, the incumbent congresswoman, previously faced off against Nida Allam - the first Muslim American woman elected to public office in North Carolina - in 2022, where Foushee won 46% of the vote to Allam's 36% in the primary. Foushee went on to beat Republican Courtney Geels in the midterm election, securing 66% of the vote.

Allam, the vice chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, is endorsed by Bernie Sanders, while Foushee was supported by Roy Cooper and current Democratic Governor Josh Stein.

Millions of dollars have flooded into the race, and the two candidates have pointed fingers over outside money, with Foushee saying her biggest donors are unions and criticizing the use of an out-of-state PAC trying to unseat her, while Allam claims Foushee's campaign is bankrolled by corporate PAC money and that she doesn't accept funds from corporate interests. 

Congressional District 1

Despite a debate, the candidates for the Republican primary in Congressional District 1 remained close in the one poll leading up to the election, with Laurie Buckhout, a retired army colonel, taking the lead. The race also featured Robert "Bobby" Hanig, a long-term member in the state's General Assembly.

Buckhout, a decorated veteran and entrepreneur, will face Democrat Don Davis, who didn't face any primary challengers, in the fall in an attempt to flip the seat red. The Associated Press called the race in her favor after she secured 38% of the vote. 

A Democrat has occupied the District 1 seat for over a century, and since a special election in 1992 that elected Congresswoman Eva Clayton, a Black Democrat has represented the constituents in Congressional District 1. 

The last Republican elected in District 1 was Walter Pool, who served in 1883.

Prior to redistricting, Buckhout lost to Davis by 6,000 votes in 2024, in a competitive race where millions were spent.

Congressional District 3

In Congressional District 3, Dr. Raymond Smith Jr. has won the Democratic primary and will run against incumbent U.S. Representative Greg Murphy in the fall.

The former educator has served two terms in the state House. He was running against veteran Allison Jaslow, who served two combat tours in Iraq and who previously worked as CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. He won with 56% of the vote Tuesday.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee declared the district "in play" in December, saying that the seat is newly vulnerable for Murphy after state Republicans shifted several GOP-favorable counties out of the district and into Congressional District 1 in order to challenge Davis' seat.

But the Cook Political Report labeled the district solidly Republican, saying it is unlikely for Murphy to be unseated unless a surge of Democrats come out to the polls in the fall. Murphy has comfortably won since he beat out another Republican in a special election in 2019.

The last poll in North Carolina closed at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. North Carolina, Texas and Arkansas all held midterm primaries March 3.  

Source: Courthouse News Service