Roy Cooper broke fundraising records in his first 24 hours as a Senate candidate — a massive cash boost the former North Carolina governor will need for what’s expected to become one of the most expensive statewide campaigns in U.S. history.

A new survey from Emerson College Polling shows former governor Roy Cooper (D) leading early in the North Carolina U.S. Senate race. The new poll previews the projected 2026 race featuring Cooper and RNC Chairman Michael Whatley,

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,