The ballot boxes are already open in the United States 'midterms'. Will the forecasts be met and will the Democratic Party snatch seats in the Senate? If that happens, as the polls for the midterm elections, one of the seats that could change hands is that of North Carolina: Democrat Roy Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley for a seat that until now was held by Thom Tillis, who is not seeking reelection.
An AtlasIntel poll puts Cooper with a 14-point lead over his rival. The survey, conducted between October 28 and November 1 among 1,459 likely voters, gives the Democrat 56% support, compared with 42% for Whatley.
From governor to Senate candidate
Roy Cooper was born and raised in Nash County, North Carolina. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. Before entering politics, he worked as a lawyer in Rocky Mount for 18 years.
His institutional career began in the state House of Representatives, where he was elected in 1986, and continued in the North Carolina Senate, in which he held a seat between 1991 and 2001. That year he was elected state attorney general, a post for which he won four consecutive terms.
In 2016 he won the gubernatorial election and was reelected in 2020. He remained at the helm of North Carolina until January 2025, after completing the two permitted terms.
A Republican seat at stake
Cooper is running in some 'midterms' in which Democrats see an opportunity to take a Senate seat from Republicans. The current senator, Thom Tillis, announced that he would not seek a new term, so the seat is open.
His rival is Michael Whatley, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. The contest thus pits a politician with extensive experience in elected state office against a candidate who has developed much of his career in the Republican Party organization.
See the AtlasIntel poll sheet on the Senate race in North Carolina.