Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley to face off for US Senate seat

A popular former governor and a key ally of President Donald Trump cruised to their parties’ U.S. Senate nominations Tuesday, setting up an expected matchup that could play a key role in determining control of the chamber in November.

Former two-term North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is a Democrat, and former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley will meet in the general election in a race for a current GOP-held seat in North Carolina.

WRAL's Brian Murphy and Louis Fernandez discuss how it happened and what the next few months look like ahead of the 2026 midterm election.

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