Roy Cooper Wins North Carolina Senate Race, AP Projects

North Carolina Senate race called

November 3, 2026 · 8:42 p.m. Eastern

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has won the state’s U.S. Senate race, according to a race call by the Associated Press. He faced Republican Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman.

The projected result gives Democrats a pickup of a seat now held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who did not seek reelection. It is a shift in a state that supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, but it does not by itself settle control of the Senate.

AP’s call is a news organization’s determination, not North Carolina’s official certification. Returns are still being reported and reviewed; this article does not give final vote totals.

A Republican-held seat changes hands

Cooper served two terms as North Carolina governor. He faced Whatley for the open seat after Tillis announced he would retire. AP described Whatley as Trump’s choice for the race, and WRAL reported that Cooper’s statewide name recognition followed two gubernatorial victories.

Before Election Day, Democrats needed a net gain of four Senate seats to take control, according to AP. North Carolina is one projected gain, while other races and the final balance remain unresolved in this report.

Where the race was held

The Senate contest was statewide. The star marks the approximate Raleigh area, the state capital, for context; it does not identify a polling place.

Key dates

1. March 3, 2026 — Cooper and Whatley won their parties’ Senate primaries, according to the Charlotte Observer.
2. November 3, 2026 — North Carolinians voted in the general election and AP called the Senate race for Cooper.

Sources and visual credits

Associated Press: Senate race call · AP: election coverage · WRAL: race background · Charlotte Observer: primaries.

Visual: conceptual paper-cut ballot and capitol illustration, not a photograph of an election event. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.