North Carolina 2026 live primary election results: Cooper, Whatley projected to win Senate primaries
.They'll face off to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
ABC News projects former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley will win the Republican Senate primary in North Carolina and Roy Cooper, the former two-term governor, will win the Democratic Senate primary.
State significance
The North Carolina Senate race is expected to become one of the most expensive races on the map this year as Republicans aim to protect their majority in the Senate and Democrats hope to flip several seats.
On the Democratic side of the Senate race, Democrats view the seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in the Senate this year.
Cooper has won every election he has ever run in the state since 1986 and was elected statewide as governor in both 2016 and 2020 -- years that Donald Trump won North Carolina. Cooper did not run for reelection in 2024 due to term limits.
Though Whatley does not have the same level of name recognition in North Carolina as the former governor, he was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
They'll face off to replace Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced in June that he would not run for a third term.
North Carolina's 2026 primary is the first election under the state's new congressional map, which was redrawn in October as part of the nationwide Republican-led redistricting push. The new map takes aim at flipping North Carolina's previously competitive 1st Congressional District, which is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
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