North Carolina primary could set up a matchup between Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley in pivotal Senate race

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s primary will be the official starting point for one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate campaigns in the country, potentially pitting former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.

Each candidate is considered the leading contender for their party’s nomination, which is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday. There are also dozens of other races on the ballot, including U.S. House of Representatives, state Legislature and judicial seats.

North Carolina, a traditional battleground where Democrats were able to hold the governor’s seat even as voters helped send President Donald Trump to the White House, is one of three states starting midterm elections this year, along with Texas and Arkansas. The list for Tuesday’s primary elections comes against the backdrop of the American and Israeli attack on Iran.

The war, which began over the weekend, has left at least six US service members dead, turned into a regional confrontation as Iran retaliated and sent oil and natural gas prices soaring. The president, who campaigned on an isolationist “America First” agenda and went to war without getting permission from Congress, faces mounting questions about his justifications and exit strategy.

North Carolina’s elections this year may be decisive in determining which party will control the US Senate, where Republicans currently hold the majority. The seat is open because Senator Thom Tillis decided to retire after his disagreement with President Donald Trump. Political experts say the hurricane of foreign money could make the race the most expensive Senate campaign in US history, perhaps reaching $1 billion.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper delivers a victory speech next to his wife, Christine Cooper, after his successful re-election bid in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 3, 2020. REUTERS Photo/Jonathan Drake

Many Democrats see Cooper, who served two terms as governor and has been successful in state politics for decades, as the party’s best chance for victory. Democrats need to win four seats to regain control of the Senate, and they see the most likely path as winning North Carolina, Maine, Alaska and Ohio.

Cooper faces five lesser-known opponents on Tuesday. Other Republicans on the Senate ballot include Navy SEAL Don Brown and Michelle Morrow, who was the party’s nominee for state schools chief in 2024.

Read more: What to expect in North Carolina’s midterm primaries

Cooper officially entered the race weeks after Tillis announced last summer that he would not seek a third term, as did Whatley, who was buoyed by Trump’s support when the president’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump refused to enter. The two candidates have been campaigning against each other for months, with little focus on opposition within the party.

Whatley promises to continue pushing Trump’s agenda if elected, a plan he says has cut taxes and spending and restored American military power.

“It is very important for us to have a conservative champion, and for President Trump to have an ally in the Senate,” he said as he cast his early ballot in Gastonia. “We will fight for every family and every community in North Carolina.”

Some primary voters say Congress needs Democratic control as a counterweight to Trump and what they see as disastrous policies.

US Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley reacts as US President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US on February 13, 2026. Photo by Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

“I think we need to send a message,” Lisa Frocht, 67, said while casting her ballot for Cooper at an early voting site north of Raleigh. “And I think the more Democrats that show up, the more independents that show up in these midterms, and the more seats we can get from Republicans, the more message he can get.”

Republican elector Gary Grimes, who chose Whatley, said Democratic control of Congress could lead to more impeachment efforts that ultimately fail.

“It would be a repeat of what they did to Trump in the first term,” said Grimes, 71. “They can’t see anything but getting Trump, at any cost.”

No Democrat has won a Senate race in North Carolina since 2008. Meanwhile, Cooper, 68, has not lost a North Carolina state election since he first ran for the House in the mid-1980s, leading to 16 years as attorney general and eight years as governor through 2024.

Whatley, 57, previously worked in the administration of President George W. Bush, for then-North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole and as an energy lobbyist.

Cooper and his allies have focused their campaign attacks on Whatley’s loyalty to the president and Trump’s policies, saying he supports higher tariffs and cuts to Medicaid spending and should take the blame for slow Hurricane Helen recovery aid.

Voting recently in Raleigh, Cooper said he wanted “to make sure I’m a strong, independent senator who can work with this president when I can, stand up to him when I need to, and recognize that people are suffering right now.”

Whatley, Trump and other Republicans have attacked Cooper on criminal justice issues, accusing him of promoting crime-reduction policies while he was governor. They have repeatedly highlighted the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska last August on a light rail train in Charlotte. Trump recognized Zarutzka’s mother, who was present at the State of the Union address last week.

Cooper recently told reporters that his career revolves around “prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars.”

Tuesday’s election also includes primaries in all but one of North Carolina’s U.S. House districts. These include a five-candidate GOP primary in Northeast’s 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis, who faces no primary opposition.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly last fall created a more right-leaning 1st District to join Trump’s campaign to redistrict multiple districts before the 2026 election to retain the House. Davis won 2024 by less than 2 percentage points.

Associated Press writer Allen J. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, contributed to this report.