Republicans attack NC’s Roy Cooper just seconds after he launches Senate campaign
Less than 60 seconds passed Monday from the time former Gov. Roy Cooper announced his entrance into North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race to when Republicans launched their attacks on his campaign.
“Roy Cooper spent decades dragging North Carolina left, and now he wants to do the same to America,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a news release. “Roy Cooper doesn’t want to make America great again…”
Hudson, a Republican from Southern Pines, leads the recruiting efforts of House Republicans.
Republicans maintain the majority in both the House and Senate by a narrow margin. Democrats hope to pick up seats in the midterms to take back control of both chambers.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, was expected to run against Cooper in 2026, but withdrew his campaign after a policy dispute with President Donald Trump and his fellow Senate Republicans over cutting Medicaid to 11.8 million people.
That left Republicans scrambling to find someone to run against Cooper. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is expected to launch a Senate campaign, according to his team. Trump offered Whatley his “complete and total endorsement.”
Three other Republicans are also running: Andy Nilsson, a retired businessman; Don Brown, a former JAG officer; and Brooks Agnew, an author and engineer.
Out of all the candidates, Cooper is the most prominent across the state, having served in politics since 1987, including as the state’s attorney general for 16 years and two terms as governor, which left him leading the COVID-19 and Hurricane Helene response efforts.
Complaints about Roy Cooper’s vetoes and who he supported
Attacks on Cooper Monday morning followed similar themes: what he vetoed and who he supported.
Among the chief complaints:
Vetos of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, a bill that banned providing gender-affirming care to children, legislation requiring sheriffs to cooperate with immigration officials, a budget and the Parent’s Bill of Rights.
He was also criticized for his support of President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigns in 2024 — he stumped for both — and for walking with protesters concerned about the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer.
The Senatorial Leadership Fund labeled Cooper “Radical Roy.” The committee launched a website by the same name.
“While Washington Democrats toast themselves for convincing a far-left career politician to seek another taxpayer job, we’ll be reminding North Carolina voters about the families Radical Roy Cooper devastated,” said SLF executive director Alex Latcham, in a news release.
Republicans accuse the former NC governor of sabotaging Trump
The National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez calls Cooper a “Democrat lapdog” and accuses him of sabotaging Trump. The committee also launched an ad attacking Cooper.
“North Carolina wants a senator who will champion working families, safety and American values, not an incompetent, far-left career politician like Cooper who will wreck everything they care about,” Rodriguez said.
But it wasn’t all negative.
Democrats quickly threw their support behind him getting praise from people including Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, and Anderson Clayton, chairwoman of the state’s party.
“Roy Cooper is one of the best champions North Carolina has ever had, and we are confident he will flip this seat in 2026,” Clayton said, in a news release.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Republicans attack NC’s Roy Cooper just seconds after he launches Senate campaign."
