Primary
Democratic Primary
Held March 3, 2026.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Cooper ✓ | 761,345 | 92.0% | |
| Justin Dues | 22,295 | 2.7% | |
| Marcus Williams | 20,336 | 2.5% | |
| Orrick Quick | 7,275 | 0.9% | |
| Robert Colon | 6,777 | 0.8% |
Republican Primary
Held March 3, 2026.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Whatley ✓ | 405,140 | 64.6% | |
| Don Brown | 97,891 | 15.6% | |
| Thomas Johnson | 35,534 | 5.7% | |
| Michele Morrow | 35,065 | 5.6% | |
| Elizabeth Temple | 23,892 | 3.8% | |
| Richard Dansie | 14,996 | 2.4% | |
| Margot Dupre | 14,886 | 2.4% |
Full calendar and every race: North Carolina primary guide
Race Overview
General Election Polling Trend
PollingSource average — trailing average of all polls from the last 30 days.
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Candidates
General Election Polling Average
Average reflects all polls from the last 30 days; table shows the most recent 30 days or the newest 3 polls, whichever is more — subscribe for the full history. How accurate is each pollster? →
| Pollster | Date | Sample | MoE | Dem | Rep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Journal/Harper | 2026-08-10 | 600 LV | ±4.00 | Cooper 52.00% | Whatley 39.00% |
| Carolina Journal | 2026-08-10 | LV | Roy Cooper 51.50% | Michael Whatley 39.00% | |
| Harper Polling (R) partisan·R | 2026-08-10 | 600 LV | ±4.00 | Roy Cooper 52.00% | Michael Whatley 39.00% |
| Harper | 2026-08-10 | LV | Roy Cooper 52.00% | Michael Whatley 39.00% | |
| Change Research partisan·D | 2026-08-06 | Roy Cooper 50.00% | Michael Whatley 43.00% | ||
| Carolina Forward/Change Res. | 2026-08-06 | 915 LV | ±3.50 | Cooper 50.00% | Whatley 43.00% |
| Change Research (D) partisan·D | 2026-08-01 | 967 V | ±3.40 | Roy Cooper 50.00% | Michael Whatley 41.00% |
| Elon University/YouGov | 2026-07-31 | 466 LV | ±5.60 | Roy Cooper 53.00% | Michael Whatley 42.00% |
| Elon | 2026-07-31 | Roy Cooper 53.00% | Michael Whatley 42.00% | ||
| Elon University | 2026-07-31 | 466 LV | ±4.40 | Cooper 53.00% | Whatley 42.00% |
| Political Polls | 2026-07-31 | LV | Roy Cooper 53.00% | Michael Whatley 42.00% | |
| YouGov | 2026-07-31 | LV | Roy Cooper 53.00% | Michael Whatley 42.00% | |
| Beacon Research (D)/ Shaw & Co. Research (R) ±2.3 | 2026-07-27 | 1005 RV | ±3.00 | Roy Cooper 53.00% | Michael Whatley 44.00% |
Questions About This Race
Who is winning the 2026 North Carolina Senate race?
Roy Cooper leads Michael Whatley 52% to 41.3% in the PollingSource polling average — a D+10.7 margin based on 13 polls from the last 30 days.
Is the 2026 North Carolina Senate race competitive?
No — the PollingSource polling average rates it Safe D for Democrats. Note: our polling average (Safe D) diverges from the expert consensus (Lean R) — that gap makes this a race to watch.
What does the latest poll of the 2026 North Carolina Senate race say?
The most recent public poll, from Carolina Journal/Harper (completed August 10, 2026), found Cooper (D) at 52% and Whatley (R) at 39%.
When is the 2026 North Carolina Senate race decided?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
How is the PollingSource average calculated?
The PollingSource average is the unweighted mean of every scientific public poll of the race from the last 30 days — we do not exclude pollsters. Each race page lists the individual polls behind the average with pollster, field dates, sample size, and margin of error. Full details: pollingsource.com/methodology.
Race Notes
Tillis retiring
Independent Expenditures Updated 1 hour ago
Top Spenders
- SLF PAC GOP-aligned $1,974,192
- AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION GOP-aligned $1,473,552
- FORWARD BLUE Dem-aligned $31,919
- THE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DBA AMERICANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY GOP-aligned $31,189
- WORKERS VOTE Dem-aligned $30,214
- PROGRESSIVE TURNOUT PROJECT Dem-aligned $23,881
- CATHOLICVOTE.ORG GOP-aligned $17,939
- MODSQUAD ACTION Dem-aligned $15,000
- FIELD TEAM 6, INC. Dem-aligned $12,251
- DEFEND AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE GOP-aligned $9,950
Full outside-spending research — every committee, every race →