Roy Cooper
Candidate for North Carolina U.S. Senate · Democrat
On the 2026 ballotCandidate · North Carolina U.S. Senate · Nov 3 General
Ballot status source: NC State Board of Elections — 2026 general-election candidate list: US SENATE · read Sep 20, 2026
Results
Certified results for North Carolina U.S. Senate
US Senate (DEM)
North Carolina Primary Election 03/03/2026 · Mar 3, 2026| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy CooperDemocrat | Democrat | 761,345 | 92.0% |
| Justin E. DuesDemocrat | Democrat | 22,295 | 2.7% |
| Marcus W. WilliamsDemocrat | Democrat | 20,336 | 2.5% |
| Daryl FarrowDemocrat | Democrat | 9,727 | 1.2% |
| Orrick QuickDemocrat | Democrat | 7,275 | 0.9% |
| Robert ColonDemocrat | Democrat | 6,777 | 0.8% |
Official certified results — NC State Board of Elections · NC State Board of Elections — official precinct results
US Senate (REP)
North Carolina Primary Election 03/03/2026 · Mar 3, 2026| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael WhatleyRepublican | Republican | 405,140 | 64.6% |
| Donald M. (Don) BrownRepublican | Republican | 97,891 | 15.6% |
| Thomas JohnsonRepublican | Republican | 35,534 | 5.7% |
| Michele MorrowRepublican | Republican | 35,065 | 5.6% |
| Elizabeth A. TempleRepublican | Republican | 23,892 | 3.8% |
| Richard DansieRepublican | Republican | 14,996 | 2.4% |
Official certified results — NC State Board of Elections · NC State Board of Elections — official precinct results
US Senate
North Carolina General Election 11/08/2022 · Nov 8, 2022| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted BuddRepublican | Republican | 1,905,786 | 50.5% |
| Cheri BeasleyDemocrat | Democrat | 1,784,049 | 47.3% |
| Shannon W. BrayLibertarian | Libertarian | 51,640 | 1.4% |
| Matthew HohGreen | Green | 29,934 | 0.8% |
| Write-In (Miscellaneous) | 2,378 | 0.1% | |
| Michelle Estelle Lewis (Write-In) | 137 | 0.0% |
Official certified results — NC State Board of Elections · NC State Board of Elections — official precinct results
Key Votes
The record
No congressional voting record
Roy Cooper has not served in Congress. He was North Carolina's governor (2017–2025) and attorney general (2001–2017), executive offices that act on bills by signature or veto rather than roll-call votes, and served in the N.C. House (1987–1991) and N.C. Senate (1991–2001); those legislative roll calls sit in the General Assembly journals and are not compiled in this batch. Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · NC State Board of Elections · source
Newest first. A close vote was decided by 5% of the votes cast or less (or 10 votes or fewer, under a fifth of the votes). Broke with party: voted against most of their party, where the record gives the party split.
Their Money
Campaign finance
- Last Change
- Profile updated · Sep 24
- Raised
- $34,975,789cycle to date through Jun 30
- Cash on Hand
- $20,717,567cycle to date through Jun 30
- Spent
- $14,258,222cycle to date through Jun 30
- Debts Owed
- $0cycle to date through Jun 30
- Next Report Due
- Q3 Report · Oct 15
View on FEC.govFEC, cycle to date through Jun 30, 2026
Top Payees
Who the campaign paid most, as its filing reports it.
- AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING, INC. · payroll$3.84M
- OLD TOWN MEDIA LLC · media buy$2.09M
- BATTLE AXE DIGITAL · digital consulting, list acquistion, digital advertising$1.84M
- WAVELENGTH STRATEGY LLC · digital advertising$917.6K
- RWT PRODUCTION · direct mail services$804.0K
Campaign finance — Cooper for North Carolina: July Quarterly 2026, through Jun 30, 2026
Jun 30, 2026 · Official · Federal Election CommissionFinance Reports
Campaign finance — Cooper for North Carolina: July Quarterly 2026, through Jun 30, 2026
Raised $34,975,789.18 this cycle · spent $14,258,221.92 · cash on hand $20,717,567.26 · debts owed by the committee $0.00 — through Jun 30, 2026. Where the money came from (cycle to date, as reported): Individuals $13,115,398.02 (37%); PACs and other political committees $750,034.38 (2%); Party committees $70,528.23 (0%); Transfers from authorized committees $19,824,119.10 (57%). Where it went (itemized operating expenditures this cycle, FEC-processed through Sep 20, 2026): media/ad buying $5.08M; staff payroll $3.84M; direct mail $1.46M; other $741.8K; general consulting $685.5K; polling $426.7K.
Jun 30, 2026 · Official · Federal Election Commission
Money shows as the filings named here report it. Payees are who the campaign paid; individual contributors are not shown.
Advertising
Who is advertising for and against Roy
Advertising summary — for and against (2026 cycle)
For: own campaign $369,600 on Google; outside Google ads $0–$0; Snap $0; broadcast TV pending; FEC independent expenditures $354,949. Against: outside Google ads $1,399,300–$1,644,667; opponent campaign ads $0–$0; Snap $0; broadcast TV pending; FEC independent expenditures $7,383,553. 2026 cycle. Broadcast TV: not yet searched — not yet counted. Meta not included.
Official · Ads summary (2026 cycle)Google/YouTube ads — SLF PAC (opposing)
SLF PAC — opposing this candidate (evidence: schedule e). 46 ads since Nov 2024; spend on these ads $937,300–$1,100,667 (Google creative spend ranges, geo-allocated); 0 of them also linked to other candidates.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · Google Political Ads Transparency Report (bundle updated 2026-09-23 21:37 PT) · sourceGoogle/YouTube ads — Cooper for North Carolina (supporting)
The candidate's own campaign (Cooper for North Carolina). 26 ads since Nov 2024; Google-reported $369,600 since Nov 6 2024 (exact, advertiser-wide).
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · Google Political Ads Transparency Report (bundle updated 2026-09-23 21:37 PT) · sourceGoogle/YouTube ads — NO GOING BACK PAC INC. (opposing)
NO GOING BACK PAC INC. — opposing this candidate (evidence: schedule e). 10 ads since Nov 2024; spend on these ads $462,000–$544,000 (Google creative spend ranges, geo-allocated); 10 of them also linked to other candidates.
Sep 23, 2026 · Official · Google Political Ads Transparency Report (bundle updated 2026-09-23 21:37 PT) · source
Independent Expenditures
FEC independent expenditures on file: $2,170,955 supporting, $12,758,344 opposing, across 185 reports.
SLF PACOpposing · $6,646,081
8 reports, newest Sep 30, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
NO GOING BACK PAC INC.Opposing · $5,634,133
10 reports, newest Oct 5, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
AB PACSupporting · $882,361
4 reports, newest Oct 5, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) DBA CVA Action and DBA LIBRE ActionOpposing · $440,940
4 reports, newest Aug 17, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
WORKERS VOTESupporting · $355,626
9 reports, newest Oct 5, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Planned Parenthood Votes North Carolina (FEC)Supporting · $261,048
2 reports, newest Oct 5, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
United Futures PACSupporting · $173,825
7 reports, newest Oct 8, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
CAROLINA FEDERATIONSupporting · $136,115
24 reports, newest Oct 7, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Progressive Turnout ProjectSupporting · $114,960
4 reports, newest Sep 26, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Relentless PACSupporting · $77,692
1 report, newest Oct 7, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
THOMAS PAINE SOCIETY L.L.C.Supporting · $45,912
28 reports, newest Oct 4, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Forward Blue PACSupporting · $35,773
4 reports, newest Sep 29, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Show all 20 spendersShow fewer
Community Change VotersSupporting · $29,799
4 reports, newest Sep 30, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
THE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DBA AMERICANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTYOpposing · $29,690
20 reports, newest Oct 5, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
SEIU COPE (Service Employees International Union Committee On Political Education)Supporting · $22,410
3 reports, newest Sep 21, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Field Team 6 Inc.Supporting · $18,335
39 reports, newest Oct 3, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
DEMOCRATIC MESSAGING PROJECTSupporting · $10,150
2 reports, newest Oct 3, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
American Political Action CommitteeOpposing · $7,500
1 report, newest Jul 30, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
NORTH CAROLINANS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE ACTION FUNDSupporting · $5,059
8 reports, newest Sep 30, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Neighbor VoicesSupporting · $1,890
3 reports, newest Oct 8, 2026 · Federal Election Commission — electronic filing · newest filing
Spend as each platform or filing reports it. Each line is a separate measure, and they are not added together.
In Their Words
What they have said, on the record
“They know we need a course correction. There are so many people looking up at the middle class, thinking, ‘I'm never going to get there. Is the American dream dead?’”
“This war in Iran has no strategy, and we know that it is sending prices soaring at home”
“I'm the only one in this race who's actually prosecuted violent criminals and worked to keep them behind bars. As governor, I signed tougher bail laws for people, tougher gang laws, laws that help protect law enforcement officers.”
“We’re the richest country in the world. Everybody ought to have access to quality, affordable healthcare. … I’m ready to take on insurance companies that are blocking payments for people that ought to be made. I’m ready to take on utility companies. All of them are making lots of profits, yet people are suffering and paying more.”
“Because of that war and because of the lack of strategy, prices have gone up, gas has gone up, diesel has gone up”
In the News
Press coverage
- Cooper defends public safety record after Trump attacksSep 10, 2026 · Press · WRAL News
- Cooper, Whatley make their pitches on affordability and public safetyAug 14, 2026 · Press · WRAL News
- Roy Cooper pitches lowering costs in U.S. Senate raceJul 28, 2026 · Press · WRAL News
Headlines link to the original reporting, captured on the date shown.
Polls
Public polls
InsiderAdvantageGeneral election · U.S. Senate
Roy Cooper 48% · Michael Whatley 43%
Sep 16, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026 · 1,200 LV · ±2.83 pts · Mixed Mode Text/Panel · InsiderAdvantage
Harper Polling for Carolina Journal / John Locke FoundationGeneral election · U.S. Senate
Roy Cooper 49.2% · Michael Whatley 34.1% · Shannon Bray 2.9% · Michael Dublin 1.5% · Undecided 12.3%
Sep 13, 2026 to Sep 15, 2026 · 608 LV · ±4 pts · online · Carolina Journal
High Point University PollGeneral election · U.S. Senate
Roy Cooper 50% · Michael Whatley 45% · Other/Undecided 5%
Aug 3, 2026 to Aug 12, 2026 · 660 LV · ±3.8 pts · online · High Point University Poll
Harper Polling for Carolina JournalRepublican primary · U.S. Senate
Michael Whatley 38% · Don Brown 7.5% · Michele Morrow 1.6% · Thomas Johnson 1% · Elizabeth Temple 0.6% · Richard Dansie 0.4% · Undecided 50%
Feb 22, 2026 to Feb 23, 2026 · 600 LV · ±4 pts · Carolina Journal
Released public polls of this race, as each pollster reported them. A poll is a snapshot, not a forecast.
The 2026 Field
Who else is running for North Carolina U.S. Senate
- Shannon W. BrayLibertarian · On the 2026 ballot
- Michael DublinGreen · On the 2026 ballot
- Michael WhatleyRepublican · On the 2026 ballot
The Paper Trail
Filings, results and exhibits
On the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot for U.S. Senate (North Carolina) — Democratic
Name on ballot as certified: “Roy Cooper” (filed as COOPER, ROY ASBERRY III). Party: Democratic. Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary: 761,345 votes (91.98%), official results.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · NC State Board of Elections · sourceU.S. Senator · NC-SEN
Democrat · Candidate · On the 2026 ballot
Sep 4, 2026 · Official · NC State Board of Elections
Not on file for Roy yet: Reach Them. Coverage varies by state and office.
File read Sep 25, 2026. Each item names its source. Record ID p_dxp3z4fjj.
GOTV Intel reports are sourced, cited research leads your campaign confirms against the primary record before use. They are never a consumer report and never for employment, credit, insurance, housing or licensure.