Dem
47
GOP
53
North Carolina loves breaking records. In 1984, it hosted the most expensive Senate race in history up to that point. Spending on the general election was $26 million (up from $2 million in 1980). That's chicken feed compared to the $124 million spent on the 2014 North Carolina Senate race. It is now estimated that the 2026 North Carolina Senate race, which will feature Roy Cooper (D) vs. Michael Whatley (R), will cost north of $1 billion. That more than doubles the current record holder for Senate races, the 2024 Ohio Senate contest between Sherrod Brown and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH).
There will be saturation advertising on television, radio, and every possible Internet platform. One indication of the volume of money that will be floating around is that in the first 24 hours after his announcement, Cooper took in $3.4 million. A generation ago, that would have funded an entire Senate campaign from beginning to end.
Democrats know there is no path to a Senate majority without North Carolina. Republicans know this, too. North Carolina is a key swing state. It voted for Donald Trump in 2024 at the same time it was electing Democrats as governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and superintendent of public instruction. Republicans won five lower statewide offices. Democrats nationwide will be pouring money into Cooper's campaign because he is well known and popular in the state and has a real chance to win. This is not money thrown away, like trying to defeat the cowardly Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Republicans are well aware that Whatley has never run for public office before, so the need to drown the popular Cooper is essential for him. Hence the billion-dollar prediction.
Both candidates are well plugged into donor networks. Cooper was previously chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and before that the Democratic Attorneys General Association. He knows where money comes from. Whatley was chairman of the RNC and shook the money tree many times with great success. In fact, that is why the GOP establishment wanted him as the candidate: He is good at raising money. What they don't know is whether he is actually a decent candidate. In recent years, Republicans have thrown away winnable races by nominating people with a "candidate quality" problem. Very little is known about how Whatley will be received out on the trail. In contrast, Cooper has campaigned six times for statewide office and won them all. Republicans have little hope that he will blow it by saying something foolish. He is a very experienced candidate and knows his state very well. He is also very folksy and low-key and voters tend to like that. (V)