Wiley Nickel exits North Carolina Senate race the day after Roy Cooper announces candidacy

CARY, N.C. (AP) — A former congressman will no longer seek an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina next year now that fellow Democrat Roy Cooper is running for the post.

Tuesday’s announcement by ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel came the day after Cooper, a former two-term governor, kicked off his own campaign to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis with a video message. Cooper’s past popularity, name recognition and fundraising ability made him the party’s front-runner overnight.

“I’ve seen firsthand his steady, bipartisan leadership. He listens, he shows up, and he gets things done,” Nickel said while endorsing Cooper and revealing plans to suspend his own Senate campaign. “And for so many of us, including me, he’s been an inspiration to step up and serve.”

Nickel had signaled interest in a 2026 U.S. Senate bid nearly two years ago, when the Raleigh-area congressman decided against seeking a second U.S. House term because he said district lines redrawn by the General Assembly made it essentially impossible to win again.

Nickel formally launched a Senate campaign in April, focusing on unseating Tillis. But his activities were always overshadowed by what Cooper, who wrapped up eight years as governor last December, decided to do next. Well before Tillis announced June 29 that he would not seek a third term, many state and national Democrats hoped Cooper would join the race.

“We started this campaign to send Thom Tillis packing. Well, mission accomplished I guess!” Nickel quipped.

Cooper’s nearly 40 years in state electoral politics, including time as a state legislator and attorney general, made him a top-tier option for what’s expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 Senate contests. While Cooper could still face intraparty opposition, Nickel’s departure could clear the field of significant challengers heading to his party’s primary in early March.

On the GOP side, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for the nomination, with President Donald Trump ’s blessing, according to two people familiar with his thinking who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly before an official announcement. Whatley, the former North Carolina GOP chairman, received Trump’s endorsement after Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native, passed on the seat. Another potential candidate, first-term U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, said over the weekend he would seek reelection instead.

Nickel, 49, is a lawyer and former state senator whose career has included working as a White House staffer in Barack Obama’s administration. In 2022, Nickel narrowly won a swing-district election over Republican Bo Hines, who had received Trump’s endorsement in the GOP primary.

Nickel hinted in Tuesday’s statement about future political endeavors. “Public service is a part of who I am and you’ll hear more from me soon,” he said.

Tillis announced his decision not to seek another six-year term after Trump threatened to back a primary candidate against him as Tillis opposed Medicaid reductions in the president’s tax break and spending cut package.

To retake the majority in 2026, Democrats need to net four seats, and most of the contests are in states that Trump easily won last year. Trump won North Carolina by about 3 percentage points, one of his closest margins of victory.