Former Rep. Wiley Nickel ends Senate bid in North Carolina after Cooper's entry

Daniela Altimari, CQ-Roll Call on Jul 29, 2025

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Former North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel dropped his Senate campaign Tuesday, one day after former Gov. Roy Cooper, a fellow Democrat, launched his bid for the open seat.

“Today, I’m suspending my campaign for Senate and proudly endorsing Roy Cooper,’’ Nickel said in a statement posted on social media.

Cooper’s entry into the race cheered national Democrats, who see the former governor – and six-time statewide winner – as their best candidate to flip the seat retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is leaving behind.

In his statement, Nickel praised Cooper and pledged to do “everything I can to help him flip this Senate seat from red to blue.”

Semafor reported last week that Nickel, a lawyer, is weighing a run for district attorney in Wake County, which is home to Raleigh.

“I’ve still got a lot of work left to do,” he said in his statement. “Public service is a part of who I am and you’ll hear more from me soon.”

Nickel announced his Senate bid in early April, when Tillis was still in the race.

“We started this campaign to send Thom Tillis packing. Well, mission accomplished I guess!” Nickel said on social media.

Tillis, who revealed late last month that he wouldn’t seek a third term, was facing intense backlash from Republicans over his opposition to Republicans’ massive tax and spending legislation, with President Donald Trump threatening to support a primary opponent against him.

Nickel, a former state senator, served a single term in the House, opting not to run for reelection in 2024 after North Carolina Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map and turned his swing district into a heavily Republican one that Democrats had little chance of winning.

Another North Carolina Democrat, Rep. Don Davis, had also been considering a Senate run. But Politico reported Monday that he has signaled he won’t seek the seat. Davis, who represents the competitive 1st District in northeastern North Carolina, is one of 13 House Democrats who hold seats that Trump carried last year. District voters backed the president over Kamala Harris by 3 points last fall, according to calculations by The Downballot, as Davis was winning a second term by a narrower 2-point margin.

North Carolina now appears set for a marquee Senate election in 2026, with Cooper likely to face Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. Trump has already endorsed Whatley, a former North Carolina GOP chair who is expected to announce his run soon.

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the Senate race in North Carolina a Toss-up.