‘Senator Cooper?’ Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper hints at campaign at fundraiser
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Roy Cooper signaled Senate run at NC Democratic fundraiser with strong remarks.
- Cooper likely to enter 2026 race as Democratic frontrunner, replacing Tillis.
- Michael Whatley expected to seek GOP nod with endorsement from Donald Trump.
Former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper gave his strongest indication yet that he will run for the U.S. Senate, hinting at the possibility Saturday during a Democratic fundraiser.
He made his remarks as part of a speech at the state party’s annual “Unity Dinner” in Raleigh. He was already scheduled to speak at the event before a spate of news reports on his possible candidacy.
He asked members of the crowd to stand up if they were running for office in 2026.
“Hey, I’m not sitting down, am I?” he said, prompting cheers and chants of “Run, Roy, run” among the crowd.
Cooper has not publicly commented on a possible candidacy in recent weeks, following Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ announcement that he would not seek re-election. The speech marked his first public appearance since the news broke that he might run for Tillis’ seat.
On Wednesday, Morgan Jackson, Cooper’s adviser, told The N&O that “Governor Cooper would be making his intentions (on the Senate race) known in the coming days.”
But multiple news outlets report that Cooper is expected to make a run official on Monday.
Other speakers throughout the night hinted at a Cooper candidacy. Saturday’s event was headlined by Illinois Gov. JB Prizker, who, taking the stage after Cooper’s speech, called out, “Thank you Governor Cooper, thank you Senator Cooper!”
Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls introduced him as “our former governor and — we hope — soon-to-be-senator.”
If he joins the race, Cooper will likely become the immediate favorite for the Democratic nomination amid reports that former Congressman Wiley Nickel plans to suspend his campaign and endorse the former governor.
Cooper will likely face off against Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, whose likely candidacy for the GOP nomination was reported earlier this week. Whatley has already gained President Donald Trump’s support to run for the seat after his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, announced that she would not seek the office.
Whatley hasn’t yet announced a departure from the RNC or his candidacy.
Democratic officials praised Cooper’s leadership at Saturday’s event, with House Minority Leader Robert Reives saying of Cooper’s potential Senate candidacy: “It’s the greatest news I could have gotten.”
“He’s not the kind of person who puts his finger in the air to figure out what would be the coolest thing to say,” Reives said. “He’s the kind of person that says, ‘What do people need right now?’ and makes hard decisions — and I love it.”
In addition to praising Cooper’s possible run, speakers at the dinner railed at the Trump administration and urged Democrats to organize for races up and down the ballot.
“When we emerge from this — and we will emerge from this — our Democratic agenda must be bold and our ideas fearless,” Pritzker said. “We will have no time to waste. America needs us. We must be willing to slay sacred cattle to get big things done.”
In a statement prior to the dinner, North Carolina Republicans blasted Democrats’ choice to host Pritzker.
“JB Pritzker’s Illinois is a vision Democrats have for our state: A wasteland of higher taxes, bloated spending, and sanctuary for illegal immigrants,” NC GOP spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a statement. “Democrats do not care about the health, safety, and well-being of North Carolina families and that’s why they will lose up and down the ballot in 2026.”
Democrats, however, celebrated Pritzker as a blueprint for resisting the Trump administration, with Party Chair Anderson Clayton calling him one of the only governors “who’s managed to tell Donald Trump to go (expletive) himself.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 8:50 PM.
