Senate Republicans are entering what is shaping up to be a messy battleground Senate race in North Carolina after Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-NC) surprise retirement.
The Senate GOP’s campaign arm made its first jab on Monday at the Democrats’ possible top candidate, Roy Cooper, underscoring the threat the former two-term Democratic governor poses to flipping the seat and Republicans’ desire to negatively brand him early.
In a fundraising pitch, the National Republican Senatorial Committee solicited donations from supporters to combat what they described as a likely candidate with a dangerous record of reducing sentences for violent criminals.
“Roy Cooper thinks he was an ‘okay Governor,’ but just like Joe Biden, he left North Carolinians less safe by pardoning and commuting sentences of violent criminals,” a fundraising text read. “We need someone in the U.S. Senate fighting for North Carolina values, and that is NOT Roy Cooper. Pitch in now to keep our Senate seat.”
On his final day in office last December, Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 people on death row to serve life in prison instead. At the time, Cooper stated he made his decisions in consultation with state agencies tasked with reviewing the cases and after “thorough review, reflection, and prayer.” He concluded they deserved life behind bars rather than the death penalty.
The NRSC also suggested Cooper was out of touch by highlighting a clip in which he reflects on relearning how to drive after leaving office, during which his security detail escorted him.
An email associated with Cooper’s former gubernatorial campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Tillis’s decision not to seek reelection in 2026 immediately upended what was already set to be one of Democrats’ best pickup opportunities in the country. While the party sees Cooper as their best option, Democrats are still against an unlikely election map that would allow them to retake the majority.
TILLIS’S SURPRISE RETIREMENT SCRAMBLES 2026 SENATE MAP AND TURNS NORTH CAROLINA INTO TOP TARGET
Tillis announced just hours after breaking with President Donald Trump over his sprawling tax cut and spending plan, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He was one of only two Republican senators to oppose advancing the domestic policy bill over concerns about its framework for cutting Medicaid cost-sharing with states.
“We owe it to the states to do the work to understand how these proposals affect them,” Tillis said in a fiery floor speech. “How hard is it? I did it! How hard is it to sit down and ask the Medicaid office, ask the legislative staff, ask the independent Hospital Association what the impact is? If there’s no negative impact, what’s wrong with daylight? What’s wrong with actually understanding what this bill does?”