Senate Democrats buoyed by Cooper's decision to run
Why it matters: Democrats have their candidate. Republicans are still looking for theirs. Both sides will have plenty of money.
"It's always the most expensive race in U.S. history. It will be again," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said at an Axios Live event on Wednesday.
But the outgoing senator has some frank advice for his party after its 2024 gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, ran a disastrous campaign.
"Let that embarrassment be a lesson to the base who didn't understand" that Robinson could not win in a general election, Tillis said.
Driving the news: Cooper is expected to make a formal announcement Monday, but the news, which Axios scooped Wednesday afternoon, ricocheted across town.
For a party that has been rolled on policy all year, Democrats are heading into August hopeful that the politics may be cutting in their direction.
The other side: Republicans are still waiting for their top nominee to emerge, with all eyes on the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Tillis declined to say whether he would be willing to campaign with Lara Trump but stressed the importance of choosing a candidate who can appeal to the swing voters or "we're going to have a tough time."
The ability to raise money will also be a factor: "You have to have a national fundraising platform that's going to match up against the Democrats, who invariably raise — it's usually about a 60-40 split," Tillis said.
What they are saying:"Roy Cooper is about to join a very long list of Democrat governors who tried and failed to be elected to the United States Senate," NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez told Axios in a statement.
"Chuck Schumer might be celebrating, but North Carolinians are still reeling from Roy Cooper's botched response to Hurricane Helene," Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, said in a statement. SLF is expected to spend massive amounts on the race.
Go deeper: The 2026 Senate map appears relatively small and will likely include just a handful of truly competitive races.
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Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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But they could face a messy primary of their own. Former Rep. Colin Allred, the party's losing nominee in the 2024 Senate race, has already launched his campaign, with his supporters pointing to how he outran Kamala Harris in key parts of the state last November. Beto O'Rourke, who lost the 2018 Senate race and the 2022 governor's race, is also considering a run and is hitting the road like a candidate. He held 16 town halls across the state in May, June and July, including 12 in Republican-held congressional districts. And other Democrats are also considering Senate runs. Some officials and donors have sought to steer potential Senate candidates into other races, urging state Rep. James Talarico to run for governor and US Rep. Joaquin Castro to run for attorney general, three people familiar with the matter said. However, it's not clear that Talarico or Castro are moving toward those races themselves. Talarico told CNN last week he is 'certainly thinking about' running for higher office, and will make decisions about his political future after Texas' special legislative session, which began last week and can last no more than 30 days. 'Once that's over, I am going to look at how I can best serve, and that includes the US Senate,' Talarico said. 'I'm not taking anything off the table right now.' Castro and his office did not respond to CNN's request for comment. He testified in a Texas legislative hearing last week, opposing a GOP push during the special session to redraw the state's congressional lines. Castro told state lawmakers they are 'being used by the White House and Donald Trump.' O'Rourke's political action committee has hosted events with many of the Texas Democrats weighing statewide runs. Talarico, Castro, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and others spoke at a rally Friday in Austin. In late June, O'Rourke, Talarico and Castro all participated in a similar town hall in San Antonio hosted by O'Rourke's group. Other Democratic hopes in Ohio and Iowa Uncertainty looms over two other states Democrats hope to target: Ohio and Iowa. The party's hopes of defeating Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted — who was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in January to fill the seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance — largely depend on whether former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his reelection bid in 2024, attempts a comeback. Iowa is also a question mark, with operatives buzzing for months over rumors that Republican Sen. Joni Ernst — who faced backlash after dismissing concerns about Medicaid funding cuts by telling a crowd that 'we are all going to die' — could retire. 'There's always all kinds of chitter-chatter everywhere, but I have a lot left to do in the United States Senate, so I am not slowing down any time soon. We'll have an announcement this fall,' Ernst told Radio Iowa this month. However, Republicans have a deep bench in the red state. Many within the party believe Rep. Ashley Hinson would be the favorite in a primary to replace Ernst. The still-growing Democratic field in Iowa already includes state Rep. J.D. Scholten, state Sen. Zach Wahls and Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nathan Sage. Another likely long shot for Democrats is Alaska, where Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is up for reelection. Democrats are waiting for a decision from former Rep. Mary Peltola, who lost her House seat to GOP Rep. Nick Begich last year but is viewed as perhaps the only Democrat who could turn that Senate race into a competitive one. CNN's Ed Lavandera contributed to this report.
