Roy Cooper's North Carolina Senate race could help decide control of the next Congress

Roy Cooper, left, former governor of North Carolina and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for North Carolina, and Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee and Republican U.S. Senate candidate for North Carolina. Al Drago | Shelby Tauber | Bloomberg | Getty Images Every few years, North Carolina offers Democrats the same bargain: spend here with election dollars, organize campaigns here and believe this time will be different. The state gives them reasons to hope. Growth is reshaping its suburbs. Urban centers like Raleigh , Charlotte and the Research Triangle are producing more Democratic votes . Statewide races remain close. Then, in the contests that decide power in Washington, North Carolina usually turns Democrats down. That contradiction is now central to the fight for Senate control in 2026 when every competitive seat could matter in deciding the next congressional majority. Democrats' narrow path back to a majority runs through a handful of Republican -held seats, and few are more consequential than the one in the Tar Heel State. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is facing Republican Michael Whatley , a former Republican National Committee chair and a close ally of President Donald Trump , for the open seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis . Democrats have not won a presidential or U.S. Senate race in North Carolina since 2008. …