Nick Morris said about Roy Cooper, in Elections Daily on October 30, 2026.
Reviewing the North Carolina Senate race in a final battleground overview.
Roy Cooper
Things People Say About Roy Cooper
Roy Cooper, a Democrat, was governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. He was the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina in 2026.
What People Say About Them
Matt Lewis said about Roy Cooper, in Matt Lewis & the News(letter) on October 30, 2026.
Arguing that moderate Democrats are the story of the 2026 midterms.
Steve Kornacki said about Roy Cooper, in Texas Tribune TribCast on October 20, 2026.
NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki described the Democrats' path to a Senate majority, which requires a net gain of four seats, on the Texas Tribune's TribCast on October 20, 2026.
Texas Tribune TribCast
Around 11:34 into the episode
Steve Kornacki
Senate, the Republicans trying to defend their majority, the Democrats trying to take it over, the Democrats need.
Speaker 3
A A net gain of four seats nationally.
Steve Kornacki
And, you know, right now they they think and I think if you give truth serum to Republicans, Republicans even think Democrats are going to get North Carolina Republican held seat. that the Republicans have kind of diverted resources away from. The polling's been strong for the Democrat there, Roy Cooper. So if that's one, they still need three more. The other one I think Democrats are quite hopeful for is Maine.
Kayla Guo
Why?
Steve Kornacki
Because it's the only Republican-held seat in a state that Trump lost in 2024, lost to all three times he ran for the presidency. That's Susan Collins, the longtime incumbent there. She's been an elusive target for Democrats, certainly, so it's by no means a gimme. But Even if they get those two…
Speaker 3
And we could talk about this.
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Clay Travis said about Roy Cooper, in The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on October 17, 2026.
Clay Travis speculated about Cooper's national prospects if he wins the North Carolina Senate race, as part of a rundown of the 2026 Senate map on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Around 04:20 into the episode
Clay Travis
…North Carolina, Roy Cooper is a likely Democrat win in North Carolina. Let me and Michael Watley, we want you to go visit for Michael. Vote from Michael Watley. To be fair, North Carolina has typically not polled well for Republicans. and then Republicans end up winning in North Carolina a lot.
Speaker 1
Let me tell you this, Buck.
Clay Travis
If Roy Cooper wins this open Senate seat, Roy Cooper might be the Biden of 28. Everybody's talking about Andy Beshear, and, oh, he's the governor of Kentucky, and he's Bill Clinton.
Buck Sexton
Roy Cooper is way more formidable, Clay, from a far more, I'm not trying to throw any shade at Kentucky, but more important electoral state. Roy Cooper could be the default, the Biden-esque candidate the next time around.
Speaker 1
That's real.
Clay Travis
I'm not hearing anybody talk about that, but if Roy Cooper wins this battleground Senate seat and he can argue, hey, if I run for president, certainly he's a vice presidential candidate, but if he can argue, I'm going to run for president and North Carolinians will vote for me, then that is a hell…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Buck Sexton said about Roy Cooper, in The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on October 17, 2026.
Responding to Clay Travis's suggestion that Cooper could become a national Democratic figure if he wins the North Carolina Senate seat, Sexton compared him to other possible 2028 contenders. From The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Around 04:33 into the episode
Speaker 1
Let me tell you this, Buck.
Clay Travis
If Roy Cooper wins this open Senate seat, Roy Cooper might be the Biden of 28. Everybody's talking about Andy Beshear, and, oh, he's the governor of Kentucky, and he's Bill Clinton.
Buck Sexton
Roy Cooper is way more formidable, Clay, from a far more, I'm not trying to throw any shade at Kentucky, but more important electoral state. Roy Cooper could be the default, the Biden-esque candidate the next time around.
Speaker 1
That's real.
Clay Travis
I'm not hearing anybody talk about that, but if Roy Cooper wins this battleground Senate seat and he can argue, hey, if I run for president, certainly he's a vice presidential candidate, but if he can argue, I'm going to run for president and North Carolinians will vote for me, then that is a hell…
Speaker 1
But that that.
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Michael Whatley said about Roy Cooper, in The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on September 25, 2026.
Asked by Clay Travis about campaign money, Whatley, Cooper's Republican opponent, argued Cooper's fundraising reflects his ties to national Democrats. From The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, late September 2026.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Around 01:26 into the episode
Michael Whatley
…And so we're just going to keep working out. We've been to all 100 counties. We're having conversations with people in the mountains and on the coast. We're talking to people in the cities. We're talking to people on the farms and everywhere we go. It's a common sense agenda for North Carolina.
Clay Travis
…it feels like have kind of kept the powder dry, so to speak. and not started really spending until post-Labor Day. We certainly are there now. What can you tell us about the plan, the spend? Does the Democrats have more money than you in North Carolina? What's the on-the-ground situation there?
Michael Whatley
Yeah, so Roy Cooper does have a ton of money. It's coming in from all over the country, California, Chicago, New York, you name it. He's bringing it in because Chuck Schumer has recruited him to run in this race because he'll do what exactly Chuck Schumer and the Democrats tell him to do. He's going to be a lockstep vote for the mob. He's going to be there with Schumer. He's going to be there with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and the rest of them. So they are bringing in tons of money, and we do need to help. MichaelWatley.com is where people can go to sign up and support. We held our powder dry until Labor Day, and we're spending now.
Speaker 4
We need to make sure that we keep that going.
Michael Whatley
What I don't want to do is be left in October without the resources that we need to get us over the hump Because this thing is closing so late.
Clay Travis
We're talking with Michael Whatley, big battleground state in North Carolina. How much do you see? This is another aspect of the debate we've been having. How much are you seeing this be a national race versus a North Carolina specific race? And I ask that question because earlier in the show…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Stu Burguiere said about Roy Cooper, in Predictable with Stu Burguiere on September 17, 2026.
Conservative commentator Stu Burguiere went through every Senate race in a "gut check" ranking on Predictable with Stu in mid-September 2026, placing North Carolina in the "likely Democrat" column.
Predictable with Stu Burguiere
Around 00:00 into the episode
Speaker
Welcome to Predictable with Stu. Info You haven't already, be sure to download and subscribe to the Predictable podcast. You can get that wherever you get your podcasts. It's lots of fun, all the audio and none of the looking at me, which is great for many, many people. Um, my official, uh, kind of like Senate gut check today. We're going to look at it, at the Senate, at every single race, and put it in a column to try to see where we think it stands today. We'll be updating this throughout. The election season, but it's a great tool and a great idea to just be able to kind of get your mindset in the right place if you're looking at this for control of the Senate or if you're looking at it for prediction market profits. It's something you should do regardless. I'd love to hear your feedback on mine coming up. We have Dan Andros. He's gonna give me some feedback on it as well as help with our candidate countdown today and so much more. Make sure to join us at predictableshow.com or on YouTube…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Where to Find Them
Roy Cooper writes Roy Cooper , writes The Beat with Ari Melber and writes The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell . They have also been a guest on The Bulwark Podcast and The Bulwark .
Recently: “Roy Cooper and Noam Scheiber: We Gotta Rein Trump In” on The Bulwark Podcast (October 2026); “Roy Cooper and Noam Scheiber: We Gotta Rein Trump In” on The Bulwark (October 2026); “Insurance companies have gotten away with far too much” on Roy Cooper (July 2026); “Our fight for public schools” on Roy Cooper (July 2026); “Lawrence: Trump sued himself - and lost.” on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (July 2026); “Why I’m Running” on Roy Cooper (July 2026).