A new Victory Insights poll of the North Carolina Senate election points to a close race between former Governor Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley, while an Emerson College poll gives Cooper a lead in what is likely to be one of the most competitive of the 2026 midterms.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper led Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley by 6 percentage points in the first major poll of the 2026 North Carolina Senate race. The Emerson College poll,

Democrats notched a big win with their recruitment of Roy Cooper for the open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.