Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Monday that he’s officially launching a bid for U.S. Senate in the Tar Heel State, landing Democrats a prized recruit and boosting the party’s chances of picking up a critical Senate seat.

Cooper made the announcement in a two-and-a-half-minute-long video posted to X, in which he said he is running to help the middle class succeed, focusing on his successes as governor in expanding Medicaid coverage, raising teacher pay, and balancing the state budget.

“Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember, and the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore,” Cooper said. “I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina right here where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times. Politicians in D.C. are running up the debt, ripping away our health care, disrespecting our veterans, cutting help for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires. That’s wrong and I’ve had enough.”

North Carolina’s Senate seat will be open in the 2026 midterms, after GOP Sen. Thom Tillis announced that he’s not seeking reelection because there is no room to defy President Donald Trump in the Republican Party. Tillis made that unexpected announcement on the day he voted against the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that rips Medicaid and food stamps from the poor in order to give tax breaks that benefit the richest few. 

That already boosted Democratic chances, as history shows that incumbency provides politicians a boost at the ballot box.

“In the face of opposition from President Donald Trump, GOP Sen. Thom Tillis announced he will not seek re-election in 2026. The senator’s decision doesn’t change the overall Senate battleground, but it makes the seat more vulnerable to a Democratic takeover without an incumbent,” Inside Elections’ Nathan L. Gonzales wrote in a piece reassessing the competitiveness of the seat after Tillis’ announcement. 

But Cooper is likely Democrats’ strongest recruit in North Carolina—a purple state that Trump carried by just over 3 points in 2024.

Until January, Cooper had been a top statewide official in North Carolina since 2001—when he first took office as attorney general. He served in that role for 16 years, winning four statewide elections even as Republicans won at the presidential level in all but one of those years (2008, when former President Barack Obama romped his way to victory).

In 2016, Cooper then ran for governor, defeating GOP incumbent Pat McCrory even as Trump won at the top of the ticket. Cooper then won reelection again in 2020, when Trump carried the state as well.

In 2026, the political environment should be more favorable for Democrats—as the party in power traditionally loses ground. Cooper will likely have a glide path to the Democratic nomination. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, who had been running in the Senate primary, dropped his bid when it became clear that Cooper was going to run.

On the GOP side, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley announced his bid last week. Trump endorsed Whatley in the race, likely giving him a clear shot to the GOP nomination as well. Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump had been mulling a bid, but she announced on Thursday that she is not going to run, paving the way for Whatley’s announcement.

Inside Elections rates the race a toss-up, saying it’s the best chance for a Democratic pick-up next fall.