罗伊·库珀赢得2026年北卡罗来纳州参议院选举，为民主党拿下关键席位
2026年11月3日 美国东部时间晚8:30 / CBS新闻
华盛顿讯——CBS新闻预测显示，民主党人罗伊·库珀在北卡罗来纳州参议院选举中击败迈克尔·惠特利，共和党籍参议员汤姆·蒂利斯选择不再寻求连任，这为民主党创造了翻盘的机会。
现年69岁的库珀是颇受民众支持的两届州长，也是北卡罗来纳州历史上任职时间最长的州总检察长。他参选参议院使得北卡罗来纳州成为民主党在2026年中期选举中赢下一个共和党席位的最佳机会。
库珀的对手是迈克尔·惠特利——这位前共和党全国委员会主席从未竞选过公职，却得到了特朗普总统的支持。
57岁的惠特利曾在小布什总统的政府任职，还曾担任前北卡罗来纳州参议员伊丽莎白·多尔的幕僚长，之后出任该州共和党主席。他在担任共和党全国委员会主席期间，曾在特朗普总统的连任竞选活动中发挥核心作用，且是在总统的鼓励下才参选参议院的。
自2008年以来，北卡罗来纳州还从未选举过民主党籍参议员。即便在蒂利斯因面临特朗普的初选威胁而决定不再寻求连任之前，这场选举已被认为势均力敌——毕竟特朗普在2024年仅以3个百分点的优势赢得了该州。
惠特利的竞选纲领聚焦于协助推行特朗普的议程、捍卫保守价值观，而库珀则将重点放在经济议题上，主打“降低生活成本”的竞选口号。此外，在总统与伊朗的不受欢迎的战争以及高昂的汽油价格这两大背景下，惠特利与总统的紧密关联似乎并未帮助共和党在北卡州获得更多胜算。
库珀的这一预测性胜利到来之际，共和党正努力保住对参议院的控制权——2024年特朗普轻松拿下的几个州，如今出现了竞争激烈的选举。民主党需要翻转四个席位，同时守住其他几个席位。
Roy Cooper wins North Carolina 2026 Senate election, flipping seat for Democrats
November 3, 2026 / 8:30 PM EST / CBS News
Washington — Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley in the North Carolina Senate race, CBS News projects, marking a flip for Democrats after GOP Sen. Thom Tillis opted not to seek reelection.
Cooper, 69, is a popular two-term governor and the longest-serving state attorney general in North Carolina’s history. His Senate candidacy set up North Carolina as Democrats’ best chance to win a Republican-held seat during the 2026 midterm elections.
Cooper faced off against Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman who had never previously run for office but was backed by President Trump.
Whatley, 57, worked in former President George W. Bush’s administration and as chief of staff for former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole before serving as chairman of the state Republican Party. He went on to play a central role in President Trump’s reelection effort as RNC chair, and entered the Senate race with the president’s encouragement.
North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 2008. And even before Tillis decided not to seek reelection, facing a primary threat from the president, the race was expected to be competitive, since Mr. Trump won the state by just three points in 2024.
While Whatley campaigned on helping enact Mr. Trump’s agenda and fighting for conservative values, Cooper leaned into the economy, with a “make stuff cost less” message. And amid the president’s unpopular war with Iran and high gas prices, Whatley’s closeness to the president did not appear to help the GOP’s chances in the Tar Heel State.
The projected victory for Cooper comes as Republicans are fighting to hang on to control of the upper chamber, after competitive races opened up in several states that Mr. Trump comfortably won in 2024. Democrats need to flip four seats, and defend a handful of others.
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