Cooper flips North Carolina Senate seat

The big picture: While the race was originally expected to be tight and expensive, Cooper consistently widened his polling lead throughout campaign season.

• His name recognition boosted his chances against Whatley, a lawyer who served as Republican National Committee chair but had never run for office.

• As enthusiasm lagged behind Whatley, GOP-aligned super PACs canceled their ads and redirected spending to more promising states, even as Trump still campaigned for Whatley in North Carolina.

Catch up quick: Cooper will succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who decided not to seek reelection after clashing with Trump over the "big beautiful bill" and its associated Medicaid cuts.

• Trump had threatened to back a primary challenger against Tillis.

On the trail: Cooper focused his campaign on affordability, blaming Republicans for high gas prices and tying GOP policies to inflation.

• Meanwhile, Whatley centered his platform on helping execute the Trump agenda, despite the president's historically low approval rating.
• Whatley attempted to paint Cooper as the "soft-on-crime candidate" and continued to recite a debunked claim that Cooper is responsible for freeing Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of stabbing and killing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte's light rail.
• Trump alleged North Carolina had become "one of the most violent" states under Democratic leadership while campaigning for Whatley.

What's next: Cooper will take office in January. He will be the first Democrat to represent North Carolina in the Senate in over a decade.