Dems All But Coronate Star Recruit In Key Midterm Race As Ex-Rep Drops Bid

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.”

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.

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