Former two-term Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is leading his much lesser-known likely Republican opponent by just six points in the state’s 2026 Senate race, according to an early Emerson College poll released Friday morning.

Democrats still in the dumps over last year's elections have found cause for optimism in North Carolina, where former Gov. Roy Cooper jumped into the race for that state's newly open seat with a vow to address voters' persistent concerns about making ends meet.

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley entered the 2026 North Carolina Senate race to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis in expected costly battle.