Report: Roy Cooper will launch run for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper outlines the damages and relief money needed after Hurricane Helene at a press conference on Oct. 23, 2024 in Raleigh. (Photo: Galen Bacharier)
by Galen Bacharier, NC Newsline
July 23, 2025
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is reportedly set to formally launch a campaign for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Cooper is “preparing to launch his Senate campaign next week,” Axios reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources. Punchbowl News also reported Cooper’s plan.
The two-term governor who left office in January would immediately become the favorite for the Democratic nomination. He would seek to flip a seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced last month he would not seek re-election.
Morgan Jackson, a longtime political advisor to Cooper, would not confirm the reports but said the former governor “would be making his intentions known in the coming days.” Cooper is set to speak to North Carolina Democrats at the party’s annual fundraising dinner this weekend.
Former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat, has already announced a campaign for the seat.
Across the aisle, the Republican field remains unclear. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, is reportedly Republicans’ top preference to run for the seat. In a radio interview Wednesday morning, Trump said she was a “big, fat maybe” on whether she would enter the race, and said she was still discussing it with her husband.
Other potential Republican candidates, including several members of North Carolina’s U.S. House delegation, are awaiting Trump’s decision.
Cooper, prior to his time as governor, served as attorney general and a state senator.
The Cook Political Report has ranked the open North Carolina seat as a toss-up in 2026.
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