Last Friday, RedState reported about how the race to replace retiring Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) was quickly taking shape, with rumors swirling of impending declarations from two well-known figures in Republican and Democrat political circles, not just in North Carolina, but nationwide.
For starters, we learned that former RNC co-chair Lara Lea Trump, a Fox News weekend show host and the daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump, was not going to run. “After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue” the seat, Mrs. Trump, who now resides in Florida, tweeted Friday.
Lara Trump’s announcement coincided with reports that RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, also a North Carolina native, would soon be making his entry into the 2026 Senate race official, with the president’s blessing.
READ MORE: North Carolina 2026 Senate Race Begins to Take Shape, and Things Are About to Get Really Interesting
On the Democrat side of things, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who was said to have been heavily recruited by the DNC, declared his intentions on Monday in a stereotypical folksy, aw-shucks video designed to appeal to the working-class voters who have been abandoning the Democrat Party in droves.
“Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember, and the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore,” he said:
I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/jXvuioO1T0
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 28, 2025
Soon after Cooper’s video was posted to social media, however, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) weighed in, perhaps thinking that an early endorsement from a failed vice presidential nominee was just what the doctor ordered:
Roy Cooper knows how to win tough races. I was proud to serve alongside him as a Governor and I know he’ll make a fantastic Senator for the great state of North Carolina.
The jokes just wrote themselves:
Roy Cooper be like…. https://t.co/QPr0KFo3xZ pic.twitter.com/Ka5RF5k3Nl
— #NARNShow (@NARNShow) July 30, 2025
This should be a clear warning that Cooper is not the best person for NC. https://t.co/ouFEqEOTKt
— Vicki (@scvic_travels) July 29, 2025
Tampon Tim is the perfect surrogate for Restroom Roy. https://t.co/6KnsJpC3OU
— Tina Forsberg ن (@TinaForsbergNC) July 29, 2025
Get our state’s name out of your mouth. https://t.co/LSZYJT6AX6
— LOW COUNTRY PATRIOT 369 (@LowCountryBK369) July 28, 2025
My thing is, while Cooper may welcome Walz’s endorsement in the primary part of this race (though Cooper is unlikely to have any formidable primary opponents, if any at all), he may not welcome it so much in the general election part of the campaign season.
The reason why is that North Carolina is… not exactly “Walz country,” if you catch my meaning:
Not if you are recommending him Elmer. Democrats in sane states should pay you NOT to endorse them. https://t.co/EGBbSW2KC5
— Adam Schiffylus (@GogginWalters) July 28, 2025
I think that about covers it.
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