North Carolina Senate race: 2026 result
North Carolina · election of 3 November 2026Incumbent: Thom Tillis (R)Updated
Official resultsCooper (D) 58.8%, Whatley (R) 39.1%.
Roy Cooper (Democratic) won the North Carolina Senate race in the 3 November 2026 election, with 58.8% of the vote to Michael Whatley's 39.1%, a margin of 19.7 points (832,114 votes). The seat changes from Republican to Democratic. Count as of November 11 at 11:59 AM EST, official results.
What stands out in North Carolina Senate race
from the count and past results- Democratic gain: Roy Cooper won a seat Republicans held (Thom Tillis was not on the ballot).
- Cook Partisan Voting Index for the state: R+1. A Democrat won it.
- Cooper's party gained 11.9 points of vote share on the previous election for this seat.
- Decided by 19.7 points (832,114 votes): the 22nd closest Senate race of 2026 among the 35 with a vote count.
- Thom Tillis: incumbent retiring.
North Carolina Senate race: candidates and votes
Official resultsGeneral election, 3 November 2026 · as of November 11 at 11:59 AM EST
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Cooper | Democratic | 2,480,707 | 58.8 |
| Michael Whatley | Republican | 1,648,593 | 39.1 |
| Shannon W. Bray | Libertarian | 56,074 | 1.3 |
| Michael Dublin | Green | 36,710 | 0.9 |
| Total | 4,222,084 | 100.0 |
Democratic gain from Republican.
Related races
- North Carolina: House districts in 2026
- Closest Senate races: MS Senate (0.5), LA Senate (1.8), FL Senate (2.9), IA Senate (4.2), SC Senate (4.5)
- Senate results 2026: every race
Sources
- Votes and candidates: Wikipedia, 2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina (revision 1385053268, November 11 at 11:59 AM EST), which cites the state election office and AP race calls.
- Race call and incumbent: Wikipedia, 2026 United States Senate elections (revision 1385106255). A race is shown as called only when that article marks a winner.
- Text and figures from Wikipedia are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Results are unofficial until the state certifies them; this page updates with the source.