Democrat Wiley Nickel reannounces 2026 Senate bid
Previously Nickel said he would only run if former Gov. Roy Cooper declined...
Former Congressman Wiley Nickel announced his intentions again to run against Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026. He previously announced his intention to run for Senate over a year ago as the Democratic alternative if former Governor Roy Cooper declined to challenge Tillis.
Background: Nickel is from Fresno, California and earned a master’s in Political Science and Government from Tulane and a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law. He served the Obama administration as a member of the advance team. The advance team focuses on organizing Presidential events and works with a large network of volunteers to maximize the visuals and presentation. Advance staffers traditionally have no impact on policy or political strategy.
After leaving the Obama administration, Nickel moved to North Carolina and set up a law practice focused on traffic offenses and DUIs. He later expanded his firm through a partnership with a more experienced attorney and expanded the firm’s services to include a wide array of criminal defense work.
Political history: Nickel first ran for office in 2006 for California’s 12th State Senate district, and failed to unseat Republican incumbent Jeff Denham, in a 59.76% to 40.24% blowout. In 2018, Nickel successfully ran for a Cary-based North Carolina State Senate seat and secured reelection in 2020.
In 2022, Nickel ran for Congress in the newly redrawn 13th Congressional district and defeated Republican Bo Hines, a first-time candidate with a thin resume.
After redistricting, Nickel declined to run for reelection, apparently understanding that he lacked the cross-party appeal necessary to compete in the new district, and announced his “openness” to challenging Senator Tillis. Despite his enthusiasm for challenging Tillis, Democrats in Washington and North Carolina are working overtime to recruit former Gov. Roy Cooper into the Senate race.
Tim’s analysis of the video: This video implicitly admits Nickel’s key weakness as a candidate— a lack of accomplishments during his six years in office. The video focused on Trump, Tillis, and Nickel’s positions; it lacks any mention of anything that Nickel accomplished while in office. That’s because there is nothing there. Instead of working with Republicans to find bipartisan solutions, Nickel focused on contributing to the hyperpartisan atmosphere. North Carolinians want a solutions-focused Senator, not a partisan crusader.
Senator Tillis’ campaign released this statement in response to Nickel’s announcement:
"Wiley Nickel is a radical left-wing trial lawyer who was a rubber stamp for Joe Biden’s failed liberal agenda, and he is running for Senate to be a rubber stamp for the liberal agenda of Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Every vote he casts will be bought and paid for by his Democratic Party bosses and the fringe left-wing special interest groups that will bankroll his campaign.”
“Senator Tillis has a proven record of delivering results for North Carolinians, from working with President Trump to pass historic tax relief to working across the aisle to bring billions of disaster aid to North Carolina families and businesses.”
“Next year, the choice for North Carolinians will be between a radical liberal trial lawyer and a commonsense conservative problem solver. We are ready for the fight.”
-Thom Tillis for U.S. Senate Campaign Manager Abby Roesch
The big questions for what’s next:
Does this mean that Gov. Cooper will forgo a Senate challenge?
Nickel previously signaled that he would only run if Cooper declined to challenge Tillis. Is Nickel basically announcing that Cooper will not run? Will Democrats back his campaign after spending over a year working hard to recruit someone else? Cooper has been an executive since 2000, when he was first elected Attorney General. It would not be surprising if Cooper’s next move were toward an executive office instead of a legislative position. Cooper 2028 anyone? Who knows.
Is this a real campaign or a cash cow for B-list consultants who can’t get hired by serious campaigns?
Despite opening his Senate campaign committee in 2023, his committee only has $688,991 Cash on Hand and $926,858 in debt. His campaign only raised $867,468 from individual contributors by the end of 2024. That is not nearly enough to mount an effective challenge against Tillis in what will likely be the most expensive Senate race in history.
