RALEIGH, N.C. — Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has officially launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate. In a statement released Monday, Cooper said, “I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina.”
Cooper, a Democrat who served two terms as governor, framed his decision as a call to address national dysfunction. “I believe that America’s best days are still ahead,” he said, “but only if we fix what’s broken now.”
The announcement sets up what is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races in 2026, as Cooper enters an already intensifying political landscape in a closely divided state.
