NC Newsline: “Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is reportedly set to formally launch a campaign for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Cooper is “preparing to launch his Senate campaign next week,” Axios reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources. Punchbowl News also reported Cooper’s plan.
The two-term governor who left office in January would immediately become the favorite for the Democratic nomination. He would seek to flip a seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced last month he would not seek re-election.
Morgan Jackson, a longtime political advisor to Cooper, would not confirm the reports but said the former governor “would be making his intentions known in the coming days.” Cooper is set to speak to North Carolina Democrats at the party’s annual fundraising dinner this weekend.
Former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat, has already announced a campaign for the seat.”