Democrats flipped North Carolina’s Senate seat as former governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. It was the party’s first Senate pickup of the night.
The result was widely expected: Cooper had maintained a steady lead in the polls, and Republicans recently redirected funding from the race to other states with more vulnerable Republican candidates. Cooper’s two terms as governor and continued popularity in the state made him one of The Democrats’ strongest recruits nationwide.
The victory marks North Carolina’s first election of a Democratic senator since 2008. It is also one of at least four Senate seats Democrats would need to flip to win a majority.
Sources: The New York Times Politics.