This week, North Carolina's top Senate candidates kicked off their campaigns without neck ties. It wasn't accidental.

Roy Cooper led Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley by six points in the first major poll of the 2026 North Carolina Senate race. The Emerson College poll, obtained by Politico, ...

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