04.11.2026 04:50
In the U.S. congressional midterm elections, Democrats achieved a significant success by winning two seats held by Republicans in North Carolina. Michael Whatley, endorsed by President Donald Trump, lost the Senate race to Roy Cooper, while a seat in the House of Representatives also went to the Democrats. Thus, with party changes occurring in both the Senate and the House in the elections, Republicans lost two seats in the state Trump won in 2024.
In the U.S. congressional midterm elections, political balances shifted in North Carolina, which is critical to control of the Senate. In the state where Republican Senator Thom Tillis did not run for reelection, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper faced off against Trump-backed Michael Whatley.
REPUBLICAN-HELD SEAT FLIPS TO DEMOCRATS According to unofficial results, Roy Cooper won the Senate race, defeating his Republican rival Michael Whatley.
Thus, Democrats won a Senate seat held by Republicans.
Whatley, who had Trump's endorsement, had previously served as chairman of the Republican National Committee. During the election campaign, Whatley defended the Trump administration's policies and also highlighted the president's support.
Roy Cooper TRUMP WON THE SAME STATE TWO YEARS AGO The result in North Carolina presented a different picture compared with the 2024 presidential election.
Donald Trump won North Carolina in the presidential election held on November 5, 2024, with 2,898,423 votes and 50.86 percent.
His Democratic rival Kamala Harris remained at 47.65 percent with 2,715,375 votes.
Trump secured all 16 of the state's electoral votes by a margin of approximately 183,000 votes.
In the Senate election held two years later, however, voters chose Democrat Roy Cooper over the Republican candidate backed by Trump.
COOPER ALSO SERVED AS GOVERNOR IN ELECTIONS TRUMP WON Roy Cooper, one of the well-known figures in North Carolina politics, previously served four terms as state attorney general and two terms as governor.
While Cooper won the gubernatorial elections in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump won North Carolina in the presidential elections held at the same times.
This picture shows that candidates from different parties can win presidential and local-level elections in the state.
Republican Michael Whatley, however, had not previously held an elected public office despite his roles in party leadership.
Trump and Whatley ECONOMY AND COST OF LIVING WERE ON THE CAMPAIGN AGENDA Economic issues also played an important role in the election campaign.
Roy Cooper listed reducing the cost of living among his main promises while criticizing the Trump administration's tariffs and economic policies.
In pre-election public opinion polls, the cost of living and economic conditions appeared to be among voters' priority issues.
However, detailed voter data is needed to make a definitive assessment of the extent to which economic concerns affected the election result.
COOPER WAS ALSO AHEAD IN PRE-ELECTION POLLS Public opinion polls conducted in North Carolina before the election showed Cooper ahead of his rival.
In a study announced by East Carolina University on November 1, the Democratic candidate's lead over Whatley reached 9 points.
In AP's pre-election analysis, it was noted that Republicans redirected some campaign resources in North Carolina to races in other states in October.
SENATOR WHO CLASHED WITH TRUMP DID NOT RUN The previous holder of the North Carolina Senate seat was Republican Thom Tillis.
Tillis, who had political disagreements with Trump, announced that he would not run again.
Thus, Republicans lost the opportunity to enter the election with the incumbent senator. Whatley, who ran as the party's candidate, was defeated by Cooper.
Thom Tillis DEMOCRATS GAINED ONE MORE SEAT IN THE SENATE Before the midterm elections, Republicans held 53 seats in the 100-member Senate. The total number of seats held by Democrats and the independents who caucus with them was 47.
With the result in North Carolina, Democrats won a seat held by Republicans, achieving an important result for their goal of gaining a majority in the Senate.
However, which party will control the Senate depends on the results of races in other states.
The defeat of the Senate candidate Trump backed in North Carolina, where Trump won the presidential election two years ago, became one of the notable examples of political change in the midterm elections.