Former Democratic North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel announced Tuesday that he is suspending his bid for the state’s open Senate seat and backing former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, the party’s prized recruit for the race.
Nickel wrote in a statement posted to X that he is “proudly” endorsing Cooper in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race, and looks “forward to doing everything I can to help him flip this Senate seat from red to blue.” Nickel’s decision comes shortly after Cooper officially announced his candidacy for the Senate on Monday.
“I’ve still got a lot of work left to do; that part hasn’t changed,” Nickel wrote in the statement. “Public service is a part of who I am and you’ll hear more from me soon.” (RELATED: GOP Groups Promise To Make Dems’ Top Recruit Regret Jumping Into Blockbuster Senate Race)
Nickel’s announcement comes after Semafor reported on July 25 that he had already begun exploring a bid for district attorney in Wake County ahead of Cooper officially stepping into the Senate race. The former Congressman had been running for the Senate for just under four months, having officially declared his bid in early April.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – JUNE 28: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper waves as he walks on stage before U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at a post-debate campaign rally on June 28, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
Nickel served one term in Congress from 2023 to 2025, representing a now-defunct swing district anchored in Wake County. The lawmaker did not seek reelection to a second term after the North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature redrew his seat as safely Republican during the state’s mid-decade redistricting.
When Nickel announced his retirement from the House in 2023, he immediately hinted at running for the Senate in the 2026 midterms. Nickel was succeeded by Republican North Carolina Rep. Brad Knott.
The race to succeed retiring Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is poised to be hotly contested. A source told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday that Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley will jump into North Carolina’s 2026 Senate race with backing from President Donald Trump.
Though Lara Trump was floated as a potential contender in the North Carolina Senate race, she announced Thursday in a statement posted to X that she is passing on a Senate run. Trump wrote in the statement that while she is not seeking the state’s open Senate seat, her “passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly.”
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