Gov. Cooper ‘strongly’ considering Senate run after Tillis announces he will not seek re-election

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Following a vote against President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” on Saturday, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of N.C. announced he will not be seeking re-election in 2026.

Tillis was critical — and voted against the reconciliation bill focused on tax, spending and welfare reform — saying Americans would be kicked off of Medicaid and would suffer.

In his announcement Sunday, Tillis said, “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”

Several political experts concurred, telling CBS 17 the move would have made it more difficult for him to even win a primary election. This development leaves the race for the seat wide open in 2026; begging the question of who will step up to replace him?

Democrats want to flip the seat blue in 2026 and there has been talk of former Governor Roy Cooper running for the seat.

On Monday, a spokesperson said, “Governor Cooper continues to strongly consider a run for the Senate and will decide in the coming weeks.”

Meredith College political professor David McLennan spoke to the possibility, saying not only is Cooper popular among Democrats, but among independent or unaffiliated voters.

“He always polled well while he was Governor, he’s also a good fundraiser, so he brings a lot to the table for Democrats, so Democrats have to be hoping that he’s going to make that decision and it’s going to be a decision to run,” McLennan added.