What is Roy Cooper's political future

Roy Cooper is the most successful North Carolina politician of the last 25 years. Cooper has won six statewide elections while Republican presidential candidates carried the state. National observers have duly impressed. As he transitions out of the governor's mansion, Cooper can continue expanding his legacy.

 

Cooper completed his two terms as governor having had a highly successful tenure. Recovering from a rocky reception by our right-wing legislature, Cooper persevered through his administration's difficult first two years and achieved signal successes. He fought a reactionary GOP and prevented them at numerous points from continuing to demolish our state's progress. In spite of legislative hostility, he achieved elusive policy victories such as Medicaid Expansion and recruiting an auto plant. Once little-known outside North Carolina, Cooper attracted attention from Wall Street donors and fellow governors. He became the first North Carolina Democrat to become a national figure since John Edwards.

 

Cooper nearly attained a perch in presidential politics when Kamala Harris placed him on her shortlist. He declined to be vetted, but the next election cycle will provide him another opportunity to enter national politics. Cooper has said that he is considering a Senate race and plans to stay in politics. This drive represents a transformation for Cooper, who once was considered preternaturally risk-averse.

 

Cooper is always the "dream candidate" in North Carolina. 2026's incumbent, Thom Tillis, has never faced remotely as strong an opponent. Our state's strangely resilient senior senator defeated a wounded incumbent, the late Kay Hagan, in 2014 and happened upon the Supreme good fortune of running against a philandering mediocrity in 2020. Cooper, by contrast, far exceeds Tillis in popularity and talent. The race would be a true toss-up.

 

But is the Senate the brightest ring Cooper could grasp? Some Democrats believe that North Carolina's former governor could run for president. That is plausible. Cooper has the stature and fundraising prowess to enter the race with a real chance of winning the nomination. He would be far more credible than the governors who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020, and he could defeat JD Vance in the general election.

 

My educated guess is that Cooper will run for Senate in 2026. The governorship is taxing and Cooper may want a respite from campaigning, but the opportunity to defeat Tillis will be alluring. Cooper is, in the final analysis, an extremely skilled politician. His career has not reached its apex yet.