Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, undefeated in North Carolina elections, announced this morning that he is running for the state’s open Senate seat in 2026. Cooper finished two terms as governor at the end of 2024 and has also won elections for state senate and attorney general.

ROY COOPER: It wasn’t always this hard, because being in the middle class meant something. You could afford a home. Your kids went to good schools. Your job paid enough to cover the basics. And most summers, you could get away for a few days. For the most part, life was pretty good. I’m Roy Cooper, and I know that today, for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream. Meanwhile, the biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense. It’s time for that to change. I grew up in Nash County, working on the farm every summer. My mom was a public school teacher. My dad, a small-town lawyer and farmer. It’s where I started my family, taught Sunday school for years, and started my law practice that helped everyday people and small businesses. When you made me your Attorney General, I prosecuted criminals and took on scammers, big banks, and drug companies. When you made me your Governor, we balanced the state budget every year and worked with Republicans to raise teacher pay, recruit thousands of better-paying jobs, and expand Medicaid to more than 650,000 working North Carolinians. But right now, our country’s 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. 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 our 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. I’ve thought on it and prayed about it. And I’ve decided: I want to serve as your next United States Senator. Because even now, I still believe our best days are ahead of us. I love North Carolina, and I know you do too. I need you to be with us. And I can’t wait to see you out there.

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