Whatley, Cooper projected to win North Carolina primaries, teeing up key Senate contest

Former Gov. Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley are set to face off in November in what's expected to be among the most competitive Senate races of the cycle. Politics Whatley, Cooper win North Carolina primaries, CBS News projects, teeing up key Senate contest By Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard Politics Reporter Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kaia Hubbard March 3, 2026 / 8:47 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Former Gov. Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley are set to face off in November in what's expected to be among the most competitive Senate races of the cycle. Whatley and Cooper won their respective primaries Tuesday night, CBS News projects. The outcome was widely expected, and the two men have effectively been campaigning against one another for months. But with Tuesday's primary victories, the real contest gets underway.Cooper and Whatley are facing off for an open seat representing North Carolina in the Senate after GOP Sen. Thom Tillis announced in June that he wouldn't seek reelection hours after President Trump threatened to back a primary challenge against him. At the time, the two-term senator, who's occasionally broken with his party to cross the aisle, lamented that lawmakers willing to embrace bipartisanship are becoming "an endangered species." North Carolina was expected to be competitive in 2026 even before Tillis' announcement, and without the incumbent in the race, the open seat in the Tar Heel State emerged as a key prize as Democrats look to make gains in the Senate — and their best chance at flipping a seat this cycle.As a two-term governor and the longest-serving state attorney general in North Carolina's history, Cooper is among the Democratic party's dream candidates. North Carolina hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 2008, and besides backing former President Barack Obama that same year, the state has historically voted for Republicans at the presidential level. But Democrats are hoping Cooper's electoral record — including his gubernatorial victories in 2016 and 2020 alongside the state's backing of Mr. Trump — will lead to a different outcome.Then there's Whatley, who has never run for office. Whatley worked in former President George W. Bush's administration and as chief of staff for former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole before serving as chairman of the state Republican Party and going on to play a key role in Mr. Trump's reelection effort as chairman of the RNC. Mr. Trump publicly urged Whatley to enter the Senate race in July, saying "I need him in Washington."Whatley has gone after Cooper on issues like immigration and crime, including with ads putting the blame on the Democratic candidate's policies as governor for the death of Iryna Zarutska — a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was the victim of a deadly stabbing attack in Charlotte in August. Meanwhile, Cooper has painted Whatley as a Washington insider disconnected from regular North Carolinians on issues like health care and affordability, which Democrats have put front and center heading into the midterm elections. The race is expected to be among the most expensive of the cycle, with two well-connected candidates with fundraising chops. And the broader implications for control of the Senate mean the race will receive ample attention. Republicans have a narrow majority in the Senate, with 53 seats. Democrats are hoping to regain control of the upper chamber, but the 2026 map offers few opportunities for the party to flip seats. To secure a majority, Democrats would need to defend seats in a handful of competitive states, while flipping four seats — with North Carolina at the top of the list. © 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.