Could a Roy Cooper win help North Carolina turn blue in 2028?

Read more... ELON, North Carolina — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is on the cusp of flipping the open Senate seat in the Tar Heel State next month.Cooper has led wire-to-wire over Republican opponent Michael Whatley, maintaining wide polling and fundraising leads and forcing key GOP super PACs to pause spending in the race to focus elsewhere. Recommended Stories Sanders calls Michigan Senate race a test of Trump, accuses president of using racism to divide voters Trump: ‘People don’t talk’ about Democrats’ strongest 2028 candidate The logic behind Trump’s ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’ appeal #mos-d526c61f-0059-4e9b-9fa7-afe88104d7a0 > section { display: none; }@scope (#mos-dc7b37ee-d7e2-4fd9-b06f-07e13e17a69d) { .we-page-content { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 32px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333; } .we-page-headline { font-size: 42px; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 24px; font-weight: bold; } .we-paywall-text { font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5; color: #555; } .we-inline-barrier { --we-red: #DB3745; --we-charcoal: #323E48; --we-blue: #15BEF0; --we-slate: #85A0AB; --we-gold: #ECC270; --we-white: #ffffff; position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; max-width: 722px; /* Reduced another 15% from 850px */ margin: 14px auto; border-radius: 14px; /* Reduced another 15% from 17px */ color: #fff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background: linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(50,62,72,.99) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.92) 43%, rgba(50,62,72,.48) 68%, rgba(50,62,72,.22) 100%), linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(50,62,72,.70), rgba(50,62,72,.08) 50%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6adf282776652.png") right center / 50% 100% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { position: relative; z-index: 2; max-width: 382px; /* Reduced another 15% from 450px */ padding: clamp(20px, 2.9vw, 42px); /* Reduced another 15% */ } .we-title { margin: 0 0 20px; /* Reduced another 15% from 24px */ font-family: Constantia, "Lucida Bright", "DejaVu Serif", Georgia, "serif"; font-size: clamp(25px, 3.4vw, 46px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: .98; letter-spacing: -.035em; color: white!important; } .we-title span { display: block; color: var(--we-red); } .we-deck { margin: 0 0 21px; /* Reduced another 15% from 25px */ max-width: 360px; /* Reduced another 15% from 425px */ font-size: clamp(12px, 1.2vw, 18px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: 1.55; color: white!important; } .we-cta { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 11px; /* Reduced another 15% from 13px */ width: min(100%, 318px); /* Reduced another 15% from 374px */ padding: 12px 17px; /* Reduced another 15% */ border-radius: 8px; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ background: var(--we-red); color: #fff !important; text-decoration: none; font-size: clamp(12px, 1.3vw, 19px); /* Reduced another 15% */ font-weight: 700; } .we-cta:hover, .we-cta:focus-visible { filter: brightness(.94); } .we-arrow { font-size: 1.35em; font-weight: 400; } .we-member, .we-cancel { font-size: clamp(10px, 1vw, 15px); /* Reduced another 15% from 18px */ line-height: 1.4; } .we-member { margin: 18px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 21px */ color: white !important; } .we-cancel { margin: 8px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ color: white !important; } .we-member a { color: var(--we-red); text-decoration: none; } @media (max-width: 820px) { .we-inline-barrier { background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(50,62,72,.42) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.94) 45%, rgba(50,62,72,1) 100%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6adf282776652.png") top right / 100% 50% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { max-width: none; padding-top: 35%; } .we-cta { width: 100%; } } .we-print-subscriber, .we-digital-subscriber { text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: #333; } .we-print-subscriber { margin-top: 12px; } .we-digital-subscriber { margin-top: 6px; } .we-print-subscriber a, .we-digital-subscriber a { color: #DB3745; text-decoration: underline; } }if (typeof CSSScopeRule == 'undefined') { const style = document.getElementById('mos-dc7b37ee-d7e2-4fd9-b06f-07e13e17a69d-style'); if (style) { style.textContent = style.textContent.replace(/^@scope (#mos-dc7b37ee-d7e2-4fd9-b06f-07e13e17a69d) { /, '').replace(/}$/, '');}} Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account. Full midterm coverage.Deeper analysis. Get unlimited access to Washington Examiner's reporting, expert analysis, and coverage of the midterm elections. Get Unlimited Access › Cancel anytime. (window._matherq = window._matherq || []).push([ 'paywallEvent', { type: 'paywall', category: 'block', action: 'stop', wall_type: 'paywall' } ]);