
Roy Cooper (D), Michael Whatley (R), and three other candidates are running in North Carolina's U.S. Senate election on November 3, 2026. Incumbent Thom Tillis (R) is retiring from public office. Prof. Chris Cooper described Cooper and Whatley as "Both good candidates ... raise exorbitant amounts of money. Neither is going to hurt their party’s…

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced on June 29, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026. On his retirement, Tillis said in a statement, “In Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming…