Greetings all. Our first Senate endorsement this cycle was Governor Roy Cooper, running in the open North Carolina Senate seat currently held by retiring Senator Tom Tillis. Most analysts agree this is the Senate seat most likely to flip to the Democrats this cycle, and there is no path to a majority in the Senate without us winning here this race in North Carolina.
Earlier this afternoon Governor Cooper dropped by to provide our community with an update on the race. A video recording and Substack transcript can be found above. Get to this interview when you can - it is a great window in the current dynamics, and opportunities we have, in the 2026 battleground states and districts.
I am proud to say that we hit $100,000 raised for Governor Cooper this weekend. It’s a great start, and we still have work to do to hit our current goal of $250,000. You can support the Governor by using our dedicated Act Blue page. Click here to learn more learn more about the Governor and his agenda, and here to volunteer.
In our spirited discussion the governor confirms what we are hearing from other candidates across the country right now - prices and costs are driving the conversation in North Carolina, so much so that Governor Cooper has launched a “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour across the state.
Next, I wanted to highlight this part of the conversation, which we had transcribed, for I think it powerfully spoke to the moment we are in now:
One of the reasons I got into this race is that my parents left me a better country. And right now, I don’t think I’m doing that for my kids. I got work to do to leave my children a better country. And I think all of us need to think about it in that way. We are in a perilous position. Working people are being left behind. We all have to decide what it is that we can do best, and then do it right now because we, the people, we’re the defenders of our democracy. And we must all step up in ways that we never had before, in order to defend that democracy, in order to make sure that we have a government in Washington DC that is responsive to the people and not to the billionaires and the wealthy and the insiders who are controlling it right now.
And we also need to return the checks and balances that the framers of the Constitution intended. This Republican leadership is so busily ceding its constitutional authority to this executive on trade and tariffs, on making sure that there’s no way that the Congress has to approve a declaration of war on dozens of budgetary matters. They’re ceding it all to the executive. And we can take back the Senate. We can claw back all of that constitutional authority that the legislative branch should rightfully have, so that we can continue down the path that this country has led so successfully for these many years.
Next, we discussed something we keep hearing from candidates - Trump’s policies are doing incredible damage to farmers and the farm economy, giving Democrats a big opportunity to speak to communities in every state that have been tough for us to reach in recent years. Governor Cooper talks to us about how he is working to seize that opportunity right now.
I will repeat - Democrats should be putting out a clear national agenda for farmers and people who work in the farm economy. The opening here is real, these communities have been abandoned by Trump and the Republicans, and we need to go for it.
Finally, we discussed what it means that the Senate Republican Super PAC announced this afternoon a very early, and gigantic ad buy today in eight states: Ohio ($79 million), North Carolina ($71 million), Michigan ($45 million), Georgia ($44 million), Maine ($42 million), Iowa ($29 million), New Hampshire ($17 million), and Alaska ($15 million). Their plan allocates $236 million to defend Republican-held seats in Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, Iowa, and Alaska, and $106 million to challenge Democratic-held seats in Michigan, Georgia, and New Hampshire.
#1 is that it means that Senate Republicans are panicking, and spending more money far earlier than we’ve seen in recent cycles. Note that more than two-thirds of the money they are spending is in five states they current hold - Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio. This confirms they understand that the Senate is in play, and Dems are playing on their side of the field, on offense. It also confirms the wisdom of our audacious strategy (that now looks pragmatic and smart) to go in early for Alaska, Iowa, Maine through our Audacious Expansion fund; for our fundraising Governor Cooper and the North Carolina Democratic Party; and our Winning Ohio campaign that splits our contributions equally among Sherrod Brown, the Action-Pepper tickets, and the Ohio Democratic Party.
One of the reasons the buy in North Carolina is so big is that Governor Cooper has meaningful leads in all recent public polling, and is clearly the frontrunner in the race. Republicans know they are behind in North Carolina against a very strong, proven Democratic candidate, and in a state where we did better down ballot than any other of the other six 2024 battleground states down ballot (something this community played a big role in making happen). So they are spending lots and lots of money, now.
What this early Senate Republican buy also means is that the Democratic family must start getting far more serious about providing our candidates and state parties the money they need to win. Republicans are going to outspend us this cycle for the first time in a long time. Powerful forces are going to do “whatever it takes” to keep Congressional Republicans in power, and this enormous and early buy shows that they’ve begun putting their big cash pile to use. It is critical now that Democrats respond, and not let the oligarchs take this election away from us and the American people who so desperately want a new and better path.
So enjoy this new discussion with one of our top candidates this cycle, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina; donate or volunteer if you can; and keep working hard everyone. With this ad buy the general election has begun, and it is time to get to work - Simon
Bio - Former Governor Roy Cooper, Candidate For U.S. Senate In North Carolina
Cooper was born and raised in Nash County, North Carolina, where he attended public schools and worked summers on the farm before earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He represented everyday people and small businesses while practicing law in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he and his wife Kristin raised three daughters. His mother was a public-school teacher, which helped cement his deep commitment to public education.
For years, he taught Sunday School and tutored students in local public schools. Cooper entered public service after being elected to the legislature, where he worked to raise teacher pay and strengthen law enforcement, and wrote North Carolina’s first children’s health insurance initiative.
After being elected Attorney General, Cooper prosecuted criminals and protected North Carolina families, small businesses, and seniors for four consecutive terms. He oversaw a sharp decrease in crime and fought for consumers by putting scammers and predatory lenders out of business and standing up to the drug companies and big banks, getting billions of dollars back to North Carolinians.
Elected Governor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, both years that Donald Trump carried North Carolina, Cooper’s mission was to ensure that all North Carolinians had the opportunity to be better educated, healthier, and more prosperous for generations to come.
Governor Cooper worked to create thousands of new jobs and worked with members of both parties to enact hundreds of bipartisan bills. He succeeded in getting a bipartisan agreement to expand Medicaid, which in early 2025 has already brought health care to more than 650,000 North Carolinians. He enacted a plan to incentivize hospitals to relieve more than $4 billion of existing medical debt for 2 million eligible North Carolinians and prevent new debt. He also focused on boosting public education, tackling the opioid crisis, revitalizing rural communities and making sure North Carolinians have the training to fill the better-paying jobs that require new skills.
Governor Cooper believes that if we work together, we can build a North Carolina that works for everyone.
Learn more about his campaign here.
