Wiley Nickel exits North Carolina Senate race the day after Roy Cooper announces candidacy
Tuesday's announcement by ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel came the day after Cooper, a former two-term governor, kicked off his own campaign to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis with a video message. Cooper's past popularity, name recognition and fundraising ability made him the party's front-runner overnight.
'I've seen firsthand his steady, bipartisan leadership. He listens, he shows up, and he gets things done,' Nickel said while endorsing Cooper and revealing plans to suspend his own Senate campaign. 'And for so many of us, including me, he's been an inspiration to step up and serve.'
Nickel had signaled interest in a 2026 U.S. Senate bid nearly two years ago, when the Raleigh-area congressman decided against seeking a second U.S. House term because he said district lines redrawn by the General Assembly made it essentially impossible to win again.
Nickel formally launched a Senate campaign in April, focusing on unseating Tillis. But his activities were always overshadowed by what Cooper, who wrapped up eight years as governor last December, decided to do next. Well before Tillis announced June 29 that he would not seek a third term, many state and national Democrats hoped Cooper would join the race.
'We started this campaign to send Thom Tillis packing. Well, mission accomplished I guess!' Nickel quipped.
Cooper's nearly 40 years in state electoral politics, including time as a state legislator and attorney general, made him a top-tier option for what's expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 Senate contests. While Cooper could still face intraparty opposition, Nickel's departure could clear the field of significant challengers heading to his party's primary in early March.
On the GOP side, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley plans to run for the nomination, with President Donald Trump 's blessing, according to two people familiar with his thinking who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly before an official announcement. Whatley, the former North Carolina GOP chairman, received Trump's endorsement after Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native, passed on the seat. Another potential candidate, first-term U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, said over the weekend he would seek reelection instead.
Nickel, 49, is a lawyer and former state senator whose career has included working as a White House staffer in Barack Obama's administration. In 2022, Nickel narrowly won a swing-district election over Republican Bo Hines, who had received Trump's endorsement in the GOP primary.
Nickel hinted in Tuesday's statement about future political endeavors. 'Public service is a part of who I am and you'll hear more from me soon,' he said.
Tillis announced his decision not to seek another six-year term after Trump threatened to back a primary candidate against him as Tillis opposed Medicaid reductions in the president's tax break and spending cut package.
To retake the majority in 2026, Democrats need to net four seats, and most of the contests are in states that Trump easily won last year. Trump won North Carolina by about 3 percentage points, one of his closest margins of victory.
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Toronto Sun
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Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, sparked after debris from a downed drone struck a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram. Videos on social media appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport. Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported that four people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone strike. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday. 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'Maybe he would get us headed in the right direction,' the retired schoolteacher said. Peoples reported from New York. The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Steve Peoples, Linley Sanders And Hyojin Yoo, The Associated Press
