Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has defeated Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chair and a close ally of President Donald Trump, according to the Fox News Decision Desk.
The costly, closely watched race gives Democrats a Senate seat. Cooper will take over from retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
With 57.63% of the vote counted, Cooper had 66.40% to Whatley’s 31.96%.
“North Carolina — I’m grateful for your trust,” Cooper wrote on X. “We have more in common than divides us. Here’s to building better days ahead!”
Cooper’s victory flips a Republican-held seat in a key southeastern battleground, giving Democrats a boost as they seek to win back the Senate majority in the midterm elections.
It also marks his seventh consecutive statewide win. Cooper previously won four races for attorney general and two for governor.
His steady polling lead over Whatley led several major Republican-aligned outside groups to stop spending on the race about a month before the election. The move suggested they no longer believed Whatley had a realistic chance of winning.
At a North Carolina rally two weeks ago, Trump appeared to concede the difficult position, telling the crowd that Cooper was “going to become your senator” and adding, “It’s crazy, you’re going to send him to Washington to represent you.”
Cooper, the first Democrat in nearly two decades to win a Senate election in North Carolina, said he would be a strong, independent senator. He said he would work with Trump when possible and oppose him when necessary. His campaign focused on the cost of living and health care.
Whatley, a North Carolina native, led the state Republican Party for five years before Trump selected him to chair the RNC in March 2024. The Senate race was his first run for elected office.
He campaigned on creating jobs, increasing wages, reducing costs and keeping communities safe. Whatley also pledged to support Trump in the Senate.
Tillis, a Republican who had often criticized Trump, announced last June that he would not seek another term. Trump called the decision “great news.”
After Tillis’s announcement, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump emerged as a leading possibility for the open seat. She had served as RNC co-chair alongside Whatley in 2024.
But Lara Trump, who is also from North Carolina, later said she would not run. “After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,” she said.
