Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper delays his 2026 Senate decision as he anxiously waits to see if Lara Trump enters the race, a move that could upend Democrats’ plans to flip the seat.
Roy Cooper thought he had this Senate race locked up.
The former Democrat governor was riding high after Thom Tillis announced his retirement.
But Roy Cooper was left speechless after Lara Trump’s jaw-dropping move has him running scared.
Cooper suddenly gets cold feet as Trump family enters the picture
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is desperately stalling for time while he figures out his next move.
The once-confident Democrat is now telling people he won’t make his final decision about jumping into the 2026 Senate race for at least another two weeks, though some reports suggest he may drag it out until June.
But everyone in Raleigh knows what Cooper is really doing – he’s waiting to see if Lara Trump enters the race before he makes his move.
Cooper crushed Republican opponents twice for governor, but he’s never faced anyone with the Trump name recognition and fundraising machine.
Now that Senator Thom Tillis announced his retirement Sunday after drawing President Trump’s ire, Cooper thought he’d have an easy path to flip the seat.
Instead, he’s watching nervously as Lara Trump gets courted by Republican leaders who see her as their dream candidate.
Multiple sources tell CNN that Trump’s daughter-in-law has "the right of first refusal" on a presidential endorsement that would essentially clear the Republican field.¹
Cooper knows that changes everything about this race, and it’s got him spooked.
"If she decides to run, Cooper’s whole calculus changes," one political operative familiar with the situation speculated privately. "He went from thinking this was a gimme to realizing he could be facing a Trump in a Trump state."
Lara Trump holds all the cards while Cooper sweats
Lara Trump is making Cooper twist in the wind, and she seems to be enjoying every minute of it.
The former Republican National Committee co-chair went on Fox News Monday and basically told the political world she’s seriously considering a Senate run.
Lara Trump said she’s "considered kind of running" for Senate and "would love to do it."²
But she’s taking her sweet time making the decision, knowing that every day she delays is another day Cooper has to sit on the sidelines wondering what hit him.
Trump has all the advantages Cooper fears most – instant name recognition, the ability to raise massive amounts of money, and most importantly, the backing of President Donald Trump himself.
She’s a North Carolina native who graduated from NC State University, giving her authentic Tar Heel State credentials that can’t be questioned.
If Trump decides to pass on the race, Republicans have backup options including RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, Representatives Pat Harrigan and Brad Knott, as well as Representatives Richard Hudson and Tim Moore.
"If she declines, I was told the president will decide between Whatley, Harrigan and Knott," said one source who has closely worked with Republicans at all levels in North Carolina.¹
But Cooper isn’t waiting around to see who else might jump in – his entire focus is on whether Lara Trump makes the race.
That’s because Cooper knows what a Trump candidacy would mean for his political future.
Cooper’s delay strategy exposes his weakness
Cooper is trying to play it cool, but his obvious stalling tactic is fooling nobody in North Carolina political circles.
The former governor is telling people he wants to "spend some time with my family" before deciding his next move.
That’s political speak for "I’m scared to commit until I see what Lara Trump does."
Cooper hasn’t committed to running, and as one longtime aide noted, "He gets encouragement every single day" from Democrats who are getting increasingly desperate for him to jump in.³
But encouragement from fellow Democrats won’t matter if Cooper has to face the full weight of the Trump political machine.
Former Representative Wiley Nickel has already launched a bid, saying "The time is now" for Democrats to act.⁴
Nickel isn’t waiting around to see what Cooper decides, which puts even more pressure on the former governor to make his move.
But party insiders acknowledge that only Cooper is likely to clear a primary field – unless he gets scared off by a Trump candidacy.
Representative Deborah Ross noted that Democrats "want to avoid a primary" if possible, but that assumes Cooper actually gets in the race.⁵
Democrats panic as their dream candidate gets rattled
North Carolina is considered a must-win for Democrats to have any chance of regaining the Senate majority after losing four seats and control of the chamber in 2024.
Democrats need to gain four seats in two years to get back to 51 seats, and they were counting on Cooper to deliver North Carolina.
Now they’re watching their best recruit get spooked by the possibility of facing a Trump.
Early polling shows Cooper would be competitive against most Republican nominees, but those numbers were taken before anyone knew Lara Trump was seriously considering the race.
One poll showed Cooper leading Tillis 45.1% to 44.1%, but it also showed him only leading Lara Trump by a narrow 45.5% to 44.3% margin.
That tight race against someone who’s never held elected office has Democrats worried about what a full Trump campaign would look like.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle called Tillis’s retirement "another blow to Republicans’ chances," but that was before Lara Trump emerged as the likely replacement.⁶
Cooper is undefeated in statewide elections, winning six straight races for attorney general and governor.
But he’s never faced anyone with a direct line to the most powerful political brand in Republican politics.
Cooper’s hesitation could cost Democrats everything
The longer Cooper waits to make his decision, the more obvious it becomes that he’s intimidated by the prospect of facing Lara Trump.
If Trump jumps in and Cooper decides to pass, Democrats could find themselves stuck with a weak candidate who can’t compete against the Trump fundraising juggernaut.
None of the other potential Democratic candidates have Cooper’s statewide winning record or name recognition.
That could leave Democrats fighting a hopeless battle for a seat they thought they could flip.
Cooper’s deliberate approach shows he understands the magnitude of the decision, having noted his desire to "continue adding to the woodpile."⁷
But all the political calculation in the world won’t help if he’s too scared to get in the ring with a Trump.
Running for Senate means giving up a comfortable post-gubernatorial life for what could be a brutal beatdown at the hands of the Trump political machine.
Cooper clearly understands that reality, which is why he’s desperately hoping Lara Trump decides to stay on the sidelines.
Whether Cooper decides to run or not will depend entirely on what Lara Trump decides to do first.
The next few months could determine whether 2026 becomes a Democratic pickup or a humiliating reminder that even popular governors can get intimidated by the Trump name.
Sources:
¹ CNN Politics, "Republican hopefuls wait for Lara Trump decision in North Carolina Senate race," June 30, 2025
² Newsweek, "Lara Trump Teases Potential Senate Run in 2026," June 30, 2025
³ The Assembly, "N.C. Democrats Put Pressure on Roy Cooper to Run for U.S. Senate," April 26, 2025
⁴ The Assembly, "N.C. Senate: What If Roy Cooper Doesn’t Run? Dems Explore Plan B," May 2, 2025
⁵ The Assembly, "N.C. Senate: What If Roy Cooper Doesn’t Run? Dems Explore Plan B," May 2, 2025
⁶ NBC News, "GOP Sen. Thom Tillis won’t seek re-election in North Carolina after drawing Trump’s ire," June 29, 2025
⁷ The Assembly, "N.C. Democrats Put Pressure on Roy Cooper to Run for U.S. Senate," April 26, 2025
