Cooper takes North Carolina Senate seat in Tuesday vote
The former governor defeated Michael Whatley as Democrats also won in Georgia and New Hampshire, moving closer to a Senate majority.
By Riya Zhao ·
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in the state's open Senate race on Tuesday. The win gives Democrats a key seat as they attempt to reclaim control of the upper chamber.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to secure a majority. Cooper's victory provides one of those seats. Party officials had long viewed the state as a difficult but achievable target given the current political map.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff also won reelection in Georgia. He defeated Rep. Mike Collins in a race that Republicans had targeted for a pickup. In New Hampshire, Rep. Chris Pappas won the Senate seat, defeating former Sen. John Sununu to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
Several other Democratic senators secured their positions in early returns. Mark Warner won in Virginia. Chris Coons won in Delaware. Jack Reed won in Rhode Island. Cory Booker won in New Jersey. Ed Markey won in Massachusetts. In Illinois, Juliana Stratton was elected to replace Sen. Dick Durbin.
Republican Sen. Ashley Moody won her election in Florida. She was running to complete the term of Marco Rubio, who now serves as secretary of state. The results in North Carolina and Georgia shift the balance of power closer to a Democratic majority.
More than 59 million people had cast ballots before Tuesday. That number surpasses early-voter turnout from the 2022 midterms. President Donald Trump told voters to act as if he were on the ballot. He has visited red states including Kansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina during the final stretch.
Trump declared in a Fox News Channel interview that "inflation is solved." The Commerce Department reported that consumer prices rose 3.6% in September from a year earlier. An AP Voter Poll found that three-quarters of voters describe the economy as "not so good" or "poor."
About 8 in 10 voters said inflation has caused financial hardship for their households. Roughly half cited government corruption and the cost of living as key reasons for their vote. These concerns outweighed issues such as immigration enforcement and the war in Iran.
In the House, Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take control. The party is aiming to flip seats in states that Trump carried in 2024. In Florida, Democrats won races for Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. They were placed in the same district by Republican redistricting efforts but ran in different territories.
Thirty-six states are electing governors. Early results show Josh Shapiro winning in Pennsylvania. JB Pritzker won in Illinois. Wes Moore won in Maryland. Maura Healey won in Massachusetts. Democrats hope to take a majority of statehouses for the first time in two decades.
