{"id":2467800,"date":"2025-07-28T15:45:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T19:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-name-democrat-announces-hes-running-for-thom-tillis-senate-seat\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T15:45:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T19:45:54","slug":"big-name-democrat-announces-hes-running-for-thom-tillis-senate-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-name-democrat-announces-hes-running-for-thom-tillis-senate-seat\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Name Democrat Announces He&#8217;s Running for Thom Tillis&#8217; Senate Seat"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbig-name-democrat-announces-hes-running-for-thom-tillis-senate-seat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2467800&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>democratic former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Thom Tillis in the 2026 midterm elections. Cooper, who served as governor as 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 despite the state&#8217;s Republican lean, previously spent 16 years as North Carolina&#8217;s attorney general. He emphasized concerns about the struggles of the middle class in his announcement. Cooper faces potential primary challenges from former Democratic Representative Wiley nickel and current Representative Don Davis. On the Republican side, Michael Whatley, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is expected to be the candidate aiming to retain the seat for the GOP. Trump&#8217;s endorsement highlights Whatley as a strong conservative aligned with the &#8220;America First&#8221; agenda. The race is shaping up to be a meaningful and competitive contest in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-scott-to-launch-2024-exploratory-committee-taking-another-step-toward-presidential-run\/\" title=\"Tim Scott to launch 2024 exploratory committee, taking another step toward presidential run\">politically important state<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Democratic former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday he will seek the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who last month said he would not seek another term in the 2026 mid-term elections.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina,&rdquo; Cooper <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RoyCooperNC\/status\/1949801503801155964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper was elected governor in 2016, and re-elected in 2020, even though President Donald Trump won the state handily in both elections, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/applewebdata:\/\/23CA8081-3DDF-4225-936D-C084D83920D6\/Cooper%20served%20an%20unprecedented%20four%20terms%20as%20state%20attorney%20general%20over%2016%20years%20before%20he%20unseated%20then-incumbent%20Gov.%20Pat%20McCrory%20(R)%20to%20be%20elected%20governor%20in%202016.%20He%20won%20that%20election%20and%20reelection%20in%202020,%20by%20a%20larger%20margin,%20despite%20President%20Trump%20carrying%20the%20state%20in%20the%20presidential%20election%20in%20both%20years.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to serving as governor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/republicans-gain-incredible-power-north-carolina-democrat-switches-parties\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cooper<\/a> served 16 years as North Carolina&rsquo;s attorney general.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t always this hard, because being in the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >middle class meant<\/a> something&rdquo; Cooper said in the video he posted, adding &ldquo;for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jXvuioO1T0\">pic.twitter.com\/jXvuioO1T0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RoyCooperNC\/status\/1949801503801155964?\">July 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cooper may have competition. Former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel said he was running back in April, while Democratic Rep. Don Davis has indicated he was considering a bid.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans, who will be hoping to hold onto their 53-47 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/senate-republicans-smash-fundraising-record-eye-popping-margin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate majority<\/a> in 2026, wasted no time in attacking Cooper, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/game-north-carolina-former-democratic-gov-roy-cooper-launches-senate-bid-gop-held-seat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The National Republican Senatorial Committee has issued an ad slamming Cooper while NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez sought to link Cooper to former President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Roy Cooper is a Democrat lapdog who spent his time as Governor sabotaging President Trump, doing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris&rsquo; bidding, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roy-cooper-jumps-into-north-carolina-senate-race-to-flip-gop-seat\/\" title=\"... jumps into North Carolina Senate race to flip GOP seat\">releasing violent illegal aliens<\/a> into North Carolina streets, and championing radical transgender ideology,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Republican National Committee Chair <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/know-michael-whatley-reported-front-runner-rnc-chair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Whatley<\/a> is expected to be the Republican candidate for Tillis&rsquo;s seat.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Trump endorses Michael Whatley for US Senate in North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Looks like it&rsquo;s a Cooper vs Whatley general election matchup next fall. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YSuVll4Bbz\">pic.twitter.com\/YSuVll4Bbz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Politics &amp; Poll Tracker &#128225; (@PollTracker2024) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/1948545685131067730?\">July 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Whatley is &ldquo;a strong America First conservative who will be a champion for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate,&rdquo;&nbsp; NRSC Chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Tar Heel State has supported President Trump in all three of his elections and elected Republicans to both its U.S. Senate seats for over a decade. With Michael as our candidate, we will win it again in 2026!&rdquo; Scott said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has said Whatley &ldquo;would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina. He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has said he was pleased that Tillis was not seeking re-election.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic ex-North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared on Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who recently announced he won&#8217;t seek re-election in 2026. &#8220;After much thought and prayer, I have decided to run for U.S. Senate from North Carolina,&#8221; Cooper shared on X<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2467801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/rc.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4912,34059,40227,34723,41388],"class_list":["post-2467800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrat","tag-election-2024","tag-political-announcement","tag-senate-race","tag-thom-tillis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/rc.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2467800"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467804,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467800\/revisions\/2467804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2467800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2467800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2467800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}