Roy Cooper and other swing state Dems know where voters stand on shutdown fight | Opinion
The government shutdown is nearing its end after eight Senate Democrats caved and voted with Republicans on a bill to reopen the government — notably without any of the health care concessions that defined the shutdown fight from the start.
It was a breathtaking collapse of Democratic unity that made the longest shutdown in our nation’s history seem like a fool’s errand, because all of the pain it caused seemed to be for nothing. The capitulation might make sense if it seemed like the shutdown was going to hurt Democrats politically in 2026. But that’s not the case. By all accounts, Democrats had public support that didn’t wane even as the shutdown grew longer and its effects deepened.
It’s likely for that reason that Democrats running for U.S. Senate next year in battleground states widely criticized the deal. That includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who said “any deal that lets health care costs continue to skyrocket is unacceptable.” It also includes Democratic candidates in Maine and Michigan, two other high-profile toss-up races in 2026. Of course, it helps that most of those candidates, including Cooper, are not currently members of Congress, and can support the shutdown fight without directly taking the blame for any of its consequences.
But even among incumbents, the story was the same. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent next year, voted against the deal, as did every other Senate Democrat up for reelection next year. In contrast, all eight of the Democrats who supported the package are either retiring or not up for reelection until at least 2028.
Cooper may be the party’s best chance to pick up a Senate seat in 2026, so the fact that he’s standing his ground on health care says a lot about where he believes voters land on the issue. Health care is expected to be a big issue for Democrats across the country in 2026, but especially in North Carolina, which will feel the impact of looming Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies next year.
Cooper, who championed health care access as governor, has made it a pillar of his Senate campaign from the start. He’s emphasized the fact that Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” will likely strip health care coverage from more than half a million North Carolinians who benefit from Medicaid expansion, while others may lose access due to burdensome work requirements included in the bill. And if the expanded ACA subsidies are allowed to expire, health care premium costs for nearly 10% of North Carolinians will soar next year. Extending those subsidies was Democrats’ core demand amid the shutdown. In a statement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee said Cooper is “just like every other Democrat who would use the suffering of North Carolina families as leverage to demand free healthcare for illegals.” (That’s a misleading claim that has been repeatedly debunked.) Representatives for the campaign of Cooper’s opponent, Michael Whatley, did not respond to a request for comment.
There’s much to suggest that Cooper might be right. President Donald Trump’s approval rating has tanked in North Carolina, and a Catawba-YouGov Survey released earlier this month found that a plurality of North Carolinians blame Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown. An Elon University poll conducted just before the shutdown began found that 63% of North Carolinians are very or somewhat concerned that it may become harder for them to get the care they need. And the outcome of last week’s elections, which were a resounding victory for Democrats nationwide, could be seen as an endorsement of the party’s shutdown strategy.
It seems baffling, then, that Democrats would surrender just days later, especially at a time when voters are frustrated that the party isn’t fighting hard enough against Trump. Ending the shutdown may have been the pragmatic thing to do, given that Trump and Republicans showed no signs of conceding anytime soon. And Democrats can continue to pressure the GOP on health care without risking backlash from a shutdown that was growing increasingly painful. But if the past few months have taught us anything, it’s that voters want Democrats to be fighters, not pragmatists. Cooper is showing North Carolina that he can be one of them.
Paige Masten is a deputy opinion editor for the Charlotte Observer and McClatchy’s North Carolina Opinion team.
