Liberal Political Insiders Confirm Cooper’s Senate Run

Today, Axios reports that several Democrat insiders say that Governor Roy Cooper will enter the race for the United States Senate. National Democrats, faced with the challenge of defending seats in Georgia, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Minnesota, have been lobbying former Governor Roy Cooper to enter the North Carolina Senate race. The same group of Washington insiders told Axios that Cooper plans to enter the Senate race next week, with a rumored date of July 27th.

Recently, Cooper’s political operation has been ramping up, sending out fundraising emails and securing endorsements from a TikTok influencer. His longtime political adviser declined to either confirm or deny the Axios report. The decision to wait on officially announcing is likely due to obligations to file campaign finance reports once he officially starts campaigning.  

Hardest Hit Wiley Nickel: Former Rep. Wiley Nickel is currently running for Senate but said that he planned to drop out if Cooper ran. The problem for Nickel is that his campaign finance reports indicate he does not have sufficient cash on hand to pay off the debts his committee owes. With Cooper’s campaign kickoff imminent, Nickel’s campaign will likely be unable to pay off its $926,858 in debts. Additionally, small-dollar donors may click this link to request a refund from Nickel since it's abundantly clear that Cooper is the National Democrats' preferred nominee. 

Tim’s Take: Cooper’s decision to run for Senate puts more pressure on Republicans to quickly select a nominee, likely with an early Trump endorsement. Republicans would prefer not to have a messy primary while Cooper focuses on the General election. Although in 2022, Republicans had a competitive primary Senator Ted Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley.

Additionally, North Carolina’s legacy media will continue as stenographers for Team Cooper. But as I pointed out Monday, Cooper’s record of incompetence will be vetted by national and new media reporters, who will take a fresh look at Cooper’s legacy. Finally, the Blue Ridge Times remains committed to providing timely, accurate reporting free from the bias that plagues legacy outlets.