RALEIGH – A new YouGov survey gives Democrat Roy Cooper an 11-point lead over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate race, days before the Nov. 3 election.
The poll of 2,130 likely voters, conducted Oct. 26-29, found Cooper at 55% and Whatley at 44%. One percent chose someone else and 1% were unsure. Rounded results total more than 100%.
YouGov’s results include the preferences of undecided respondents who said they leaned toward a candidate. People who had already cast ballots were asked whom they voted for, while others were asked whom they intended to support.
The firm reports a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for the full likely-voter sample. Its methodology describes a stratified random sample drawn from North Carolina’s registered-voter list, with selected voters contacted by text message and interviewed online.
Responses were weighted using demographic, geographic and political characteristics. YouGov’s likely-voter model considers past voting, demographics and respondents’ stated likelihood of voting. The findings are survey estimates, not election returns or a guarantee of the outcome.
The results document appeared among YouGov’s state polling materials as the firm updated its election collection Nov. 1. The interviewing period ended Oct. 29, so the survey does not measure any later movement.
The seat is open because Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is not seeking reelection. WRAL reported that Green Party candidate Michael Dublin and Libertarian Shannon Bray are also on the ballot. The YouGov question lists Cooper, Whatley and a general someone-else option rather than separate results for those two candidates.
WRAL’s closing-campaign report described Cooper and Whatley making appeals to eastern North Carolina voters Friday. Republicans hold 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, and Democrats need to gain four nationally to take a majority, the outlet reported.
The new survey is separate from the High Point University/YouGov poll conducted Oct. 1-20. Differences between surveys should not be treated as a directly measured change among the same voters.
Sources
- YouGov: North Carolina results and methodology
- WRAL: Closing appeals in the Senate race
- YouGov: State polling collection
Photo Credit: File photographs: Roy Cooper, Durham, April 9, 2026, by NetwonsBucket; Michael Whatley, Las Vegas, Aug. 30, 2026, by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons. Both CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, resized and combined; photographic adaptation shared under the same license. NCPN logo is a separate brand mark.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.