Democrats flip key Senate seat in North Carolina during midterm elections

Democrats have flipped a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina in the 2026 midterm elections, France 24, RTE and the BBC reported. The former governor of North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper, defeated Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, according to the Guardian and NBC News. [1][4][6][8][9]

The win makes Cooper the first Democrat to represent North Carolina in the Senate in ten years, according to the Guardian. As FTMQ News reported earlier, North Carolina last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2008. The New York Times reported that the seat is one of at least four that Democrats need to win to secure a Senate majority. [5][6][16]

PBS NewsHour reported that Cooper focused his campaign on voters affected by tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, as well as high fuel and fertilizer costs. The Guardian added that Cooper centered his messaging on lowering costs to defeat Whatley. [6][7]

In other midterm updates, UPI projected that Democrat Annie Andrews won a Senate seat in South Carolina against incumbent Republican Darline Graham. Euronews reported that prominent Democratic figures Rashida Tlaib, Hakeem Jeffries and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all won re-election to the House of Representatives. [2][3]