Senate Democrats buoyed by Cooper's decision to run
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Then-N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) landed his top 2026 recruit in former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, giving Democrats some midsummer hope they can steal a GOP Senate seat next year.
Why it matters: Democrats have their candidate. Republicans are still looking for theirs. Both sides will have plenty of money.
- "It's always the most expensive race in U.S. history. It will be again," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said at an Axios Live event on Wednesday.
- But the outgoing senator has some frank advice for his party after its 2024 gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, ran a disastrous campaign.
- "Let that embarrassment be a lesson to the base who didn't understand" that Robinson could not win in a general election, Tillis said.
Driving the news: Cooper is expected to make a formal announcement Monday, but the news, which Axios scooped Wednesday afternoon, ricocheted across town.
- For a party that has been rolled on policy all year, Democrats are heading into August hopeful that the politics may be cutting in their direction.
The other side: Republicans are still waiting for their top nominee to emerge, with all eyes on the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
- Tillis declined to say whether he would be willing to campaign with Lara Trump but stressed the importance of choosing a candidate who can appeal to the swing voters or "we're going to have a tough time."
- The ability to raise money will also be a factor: "You have to have a national fundraising platform that's going to match up against the Democrats, who invariably raise — it's usually about a 60-40 split," Tillis said.
What they are saying: "Roy Cooper is about to join a very long list of Democrat governors who tried and failed to be elected to the United States Senate," NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez told Axios in a statement.
- "Chuck Schumer might be celebrating, but North Carolinians are still reeling from Roy Cooper's botched response to Hurricane Helene," Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, said in a statement. SLF is expected to spend massive amounts on the race.
Go deeper: The 2026 Senate map appears relatively small and will likely include just a handful of truly competitive races.
- That dynamic will funnel lots of money — in digital, broadcast and get-out-the-vote operations — into the states where both parties see a real opportunity.
- Meanwhile, Senate Republicans breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when Rep. Bill Huizenga announced he'd take a pass on the Michigan Senate race, giving former Rep. Mike Rogers a clearer path to another statewide bid.
