NC Senate: Cooper leads, but Whatley has a path

Public Policy Polling ^ | 7/13/2026 | NC

[Redmen4ever]

Cooper 48, Whatley 44

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TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: cooper; democraticpollster; nc; senate; whatley

[Redmen4ever]

This is a pick-up opportunity for the other side. Other recent polls give Cooper a high single-digit lead. PPP is Democrat, so there may be some bias in these numbers. Even so, this poll shows the Ds are solidly behind Cooper, but the Rs aren't solidly behind Whatley. We come together and we can win this race.

[ClearCase_guy]

I read the headline as “Copper heads”. Like we are back in the Civil War era. Which we are.

[oldbill]

If Whatley and the NC Republicans aren’t running daily ads on that young immigrant girl being stabbed on the trolley they should lose.

[Redmen4ever]

Whatley will not lack for money (but more wouldn’t hurt).

https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/nc-senate-cooper-whatley-spending-election-2026-republican-slf-march-2026/

[FLT-bird]

I really really hope Whatley wins this one. Roy Cooper was an AWFUL governor. He would be an equally awful Senator. He poses as if he were some kind of moderate. He is anything but. He’s a hardcore Leftist.

[PermaRag]

“Whatley will not lack for money (but more wouldn’t hurt).”

Compared to Cooper, he will probably sorely lack for money.

Whatley as 6/30 FEC data: $8.4 million in receipts.

Cooper as of 3 months *earlier* (so it’s much more now): $26.8 million in receipts.

Whatley also lacks in name recognition and in being any real inspiration to his party’s voters. He’s an unknown in an empty suit. Which is still a hell of a lot better than whatever Roy Cooper is.

But in the end probably 50%+ of NC voters will disagree. Maybe *barely* 50%+ but still enough. It was just enough for Cooper in 2016 and in 2020 too.

Outlier polls like this one notwithstanding, Cooper has been favored by an average of about 7 points, and while that is probably an upper limit of his likely MOV, he will likely still win by at least 2 or 3 points barring a major shift to the right in the next 3+ months.

If Whatley completely shits the bed and demoralized GOP voters stay home (or are massively outnumbered by enthusiastic Rat voters) there are several GOP-held marginal House seats in NC that could be swamped in a “blue” wave.

[qam1]

Republicans should also run ads on that video where the Illegal 18 Wheeler driver made the Illegal Uturn and killed that family in the minivan

But they won’t, Chuck Schumer might call them racist and it’s better to be a gracious loser

[DIRTYSECRET]

Too bad Lee Atwater is no longer alive.

[montag813]

Republicans should also run ads on that video where the Illegal 18 Wheeler driver made the Illegal Uturn and killed that family in the minivan

Was that in NC? Link?

[iamgalt]

He poses as if he were some kind of moderate“

The rats are using the Virginia bait and switch all over the country. It is how they won elections for decades

[LuxAerterna]

Republican controlled the state legislature the entire time Cooper was governor. It acted as a restraint on him. It burnished his “moderate” image. This image will shed the instant he enters the Senate. The chances of him being another Fetterman are somewhere between slim to none. The problem is in getting this message out before the election. Whatley is a weak campaigner

[Gay State Conservative]

Rat Party Headquarters has made it clear that they have their “Count Every Vote” Unit up and running in NC.

[qam1]

It was in Florida, but the driver was licensed in California.

It should be part of a general “This is what happens when you vote Democrat” campaign

Same with when the Democrats didn’t stand in the SOTU when asked to put Americans first, or even when they sat down for that sick black kid in the 1st SOTU

So much material the Republicans will never use, and instead go the Dole/McCain/Romeny/Bush strategy of staying above the fray.

[fso301]

He’s like that rich lawyer Edwards running for president pretending to be an average person from a small town. While his wife was battling cancer and he was milking it politically, he was also banging some new age priestess.

[jmaroneps37]

Coming from PPP which publicly acknowledges is is a leftist outfit, fbis means Cooper’s lead is not substantial and probably won’t hold. The rodents won’t be able to cheat Whatly. He beat them for Trump in 24 and knows how to beat them again.

[Battlestar]

Reps in NC seem to pick the absolute worst candidates. Boring, no nothing, too business/corporate in their personalities. Whatley can win with support from Trump. But Whatley seems to be an anti-trump in personality.

[spintreebob]

All these discussions comparing the winning ability of X vs Y need to consider the one most important factor.

Who has the ground troops to knock door to door and get their voters to vote?

In NC, in GA, in ME, in many states the simple fact is that the DSA has GROUND TROOPS dedicated to knock door to door and they get out their vote.

We used to have a few ProLife ground troops. But ProLife is not the motivator it used to be.

MAGA could, but doesn’t, have ground troops.
2A could, but doesn’t, have ground troops.
Capitalism could, but doesn’t, have ground troops.
FR could, but doesn’t, have ground troops.

[KC Burke]

Here in NC the state Repub pols see Roy as very strong against Whatley.