Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina. Republicans let him do it | Opinion

North Carolina just elected its first Democratic U.S. senator in 18 years, and somehow it wasn't really a surprise to anybody paying attention to this midterm election.

Former Gov. Roy Cooper's win became official on election night after the Associated Press and NBC called the race for him. He will become the state's newest senator, defeating former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in a state that voted for President Donald Trump over the last three presidential elections. The seat was open following the retirement of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has become increasingly critical of Trump in the months following his decision to walk away.

In electing Cooper, North Carolina is not turning blue – it's returning to its roots as a true purple state, one where commonsense stances on social issues are paired with a capitalist mindset.

Losing North Carolina is a huge blow to the Republican Party, which has counted on the state to push the Republican agenda forward in Congress. While the flipped seat does not guarantee a Democratic majority in the Senate, it is an important piece of the overall puzzle for Democrats.

Roy Cooper is the best of what North Carolina can offer in politics

For months, the polls showed the potential for a Democratic blowout. In a final East Carolina University survey before Election Day, Cooper led Whatley by 9 percentage points.

This is probably because of the Republican strategy in the state – which, by the end, was to give up. The Senate Leadership Fund, a top Republican super PAC, pulled their funds from North Carolina back in October after months of poor polling and outraising from Cooper's campaign.

By the end of the campaign, even Trump was saying that the former governor would be the state's newest U.S. senator.

So what went wrong for Republicans in the state? The biggest error seems to be selecting a candidate whom no one knew and who had never held public office. Cooper, on the other hand, held multiple statewide positions and had an approval rating over 50% in the months after he left the governor's mansion and had never lost a statewide race.

Then came the actual campaign. Republican attack ads tried to paint Cooper as soft on crime through mudslinging and misinformation. Meanwhile, Cooper dominated this election because he focused on affordability issues, literally making his campaign slogan "make stuff cost less."

He had the credentials to back it up, too, between leading the state to become CNBC's "best in business" in 2022 and 2023 and expanding Medicaid.

But ultimately, the reason Roy Cooper won is that he's Roy Cooper. He's a born-and-raised North Carolinian who was educated by our public schools and universities. He loves Diet Sun Drop and the Carolina Hurricanes. He appeals to the independents who split tickets and the Democrats looking for change in the state.

Sure, many of us who grew up there would love to see the state be more progressive, but we'll take what we can get. And Cooper is a pretty good get. Cooper's win is a bright spot for those of us who want to see the state be the best version of itself, and return to its roots as a beacon of liberalism in the South.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina. Republicans let him do it | Opinion

Reporting by Sara Pequeño, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published November 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM.