Cooper Flips North Carolina Senate Seat, Defeating Trump-Backed Whatley as Democrats Gain Ground

The Fox News Decision Desk has projected that Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina, defeated Michael Whatley in the state's U.S. Senate race. Whatley is the former chair of the Republican National Committee and a close ally of President Donald Trump. The result gives Democrats a seat that Republicans held, as Cooper prepares to succeed the retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.

The projection came with a lopsided count. The source reports it as 57.63 votes counted, which presumably means 57.63 percent of the vote. At that point Cooper had 66.40 percent and Whatley 31.96 percent.

Cooper responded on X. "North Carolina — I'm grateful for your trust," he wrote. "We have more in common than divides us. Here's to building better days ahead!" The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also applauded the win. It said he would carry on the fight to expand health care access and make things cost less.

The win extends a long record. It was Cooper's seventh straight statewide victory, following four elections for attorney general and two for governor. It also made him the first Democrat to win a Senate election in North Carolina in nearly two decades.

The outcome had been signaled well before election night. A month earlier, top GOP-aligned outside groups pulled their spending from the race after Cooper kept a solid lead over Whatley in public polling. The move was read as a sign that Republicans no longer saw a path to victory in the southeastern battleground state. Two weeks before the vote, Trump held a rally in North Carolina to try to rescue Whatley. He appeared to acknowledge the situation, telling the crowd that Cooper was "going to become your senator" and calling it crazy that voters would send him to Washington.

Cooper campaigned on cost of living and health care. He described himself as a "strong, independent senator" who would work with Trump when he could and stand up to him when needed.

Whatley, a North Carolina native, was a first-time candidate. He served five years as the state's GOP chair before Trump picked him in March 2024 to lead the RNC. He pledged to create jobs, raise wages, lower costs and keep communities safe, and said he would be a Trump ally in the Senate.

The open seat exists because Tillis, a vocal Republican critic of Trump, announced in June of last year that he would not seek re-election. Trump called that "great news." Afterward, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, was at the top of his list for the seat. She is a North Carolina native who served as RNC co-chair alongside Whatley in 2024. She announced that after much consideration she had decided not to pursue the seat at this time.

The flip adds to Democratic hopes of recapturing the Senate majority in the midterm elections. What to watch next is how Cooper handles his pledge to work with Trump where possible and oppose him where needed.