Roy Cooper has made history in North Carolina.
The former Democratic governor won the state’s U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Michael Whatley and becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate election in North Carolina in 18 years.
NPR reported Cooper’s victory at 8:24 p.m. ET, just nine minutes after the last of North Carolina’s extended polling hours ended.
Cooper, 69, will succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who decided not to seek reelection after serving two terms.
When Was the Last Time a Democrat Won a Senate Race in North Carolina?
The last Democrat to win a U.S. Senate election in North Carolina was Kay Hagan in 2008.
Hagan defeated Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole, earning 52.7% of the vote compared with Dole’s 44.2%, according to historical election results.
Hagan served one term before losing her 2014 reelection bid to Tillis.
Since Hagan’s 2008 victory, Republicans have won five consecutive U.S. Senate elections in North Carolina, including victories by Richard Burr in 2010 and 2016, Tillis in 2014 and 2020, and Ted Budd in 2022.
Cooper’s victory ends that streak and marks the first time in nearly two decades that North Carolina voters have elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
Pre-election polling also offered insight into Cooper’s support among key voter groups. An Elon University poll released in October found that Cooper led Whatley among independent voters, 50% to 24%, and women, 51% to 34%.
While those figures reflect voter preferences before Election Day rather than final voting patterns, they highlighted the support Cooper had built among independents and women heading into the election.
Who Is Roy Cooper?
Cooper previously served two terms as North Carolina’s governor, from 2017 to 2025, after serving four terms as the state’s attorney general.
His latest victory adds a federal office to a political career that has included multiple statewide election wins.
Cooper’s Senate win also flips a Republican-held seat, making it an important result in the 2026 midterm elections.
How Did Roy Cooper and Democrats React to His Victory?
Following Cooper’s victory, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand congratulated the former governor in a joint statement.
“He will take his fight to make stuff cost less and ensure the American Dream is achievable for every North Carolinian to the Senate,” the statement read.
Cooper also addressed supporters on election night. His full victory speech is available to watch here.
For updated vote totals, follow NPR’s North Carolina Senate election results.
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