Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper led Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley by 6 percentage points in the first major poll of the 2026 North Carolina Senate race. The Emerson College poll,

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has an early lead over Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in the North Carolina Senate race as the candidates appear poised for a general election match-up.

A new Victory Insights poll of the North Carolina Senate election points to a close race between former Governor Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley, while an Emerson College poll gives Cooper a lead in what is likely to be one of the most competitive of the 2026 midterms.