North Carolina’s Senate race no longer a toss-up, top forecasters say, with Cooper in the lead

By: Brandon Kingdollar

Outlets: North Carolina Newsline

Published: June 11, 2026

Words: 596

Last Updated: 7 hours, 9 minutes ago


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Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper is now considered the favorite by top election forecasters to win North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, a result that would make him the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate in more than a decade.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan election forecast by the University of Virginia Center for Politics, changed North Carolina’s Senate race from “Toss-up” status to “Leans Democratic” Thursday. In April, Cook Political Report, …

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