Roy Cooper

Professional background

Attorney.

Public service

North Carolina House of Representatives (1987–2001); North Carolina Senate (2001); North Carolina Attorney General (2001–2017); 75th Governor of North Carolina (2017–2025).

Military service

None

In this race

• Michael Whatley (Republican)

Related research

• Cooper’s Promise of Making ‘Stuff Cost Less’ Doesn’t Align With His Record As Governor
• Roy Cooper Oversaw Tens of Millions in Fraudulent Unemployment Payments

Issue positions

Healthcare (Policy)

Roy Cooper does not endorse Medicare for All, but he does support expanding Medicaid. His Senate campaign frames health care as a cost-of-living issue and calls for lowering prescription drug prices, protecting Medicaid, reducing insurance premiums, and opposing federal policies that would reduce health coverage. This is consistent with his record as governor. In 2023, Cooper signed North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion law. During his tenure, the state became the most expensive for the cost of average employer-sponsored healthcare premiums and was second highest for family coverage. Medicaid expansion under Cooper also claimed to have brought a large flow of federal health dollars into hospitals, clinics, and rural health systems, but in reality, Cooper’s Medicaid expansions increased expenditures by $6.3 billion in one year and forced several rural hospitals to downsize or close. CBO estimates that permanently restoring the expanded premium-tax-credit structure would increase deficits by $350 billion over 2026-2035. But the subsidies could also weaken price discipline by insulating enrollees from premium increases and channeling more federal money through insurers. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper supports and has enacted policies that make healthcare more expensive and inefficient. He wants to bring those same policies to Washington and make North Carolina’s pricey and ineffective healthcare system a reality for all Americans."

Taxes (Policy)

Cooper’s affordability platform proposes targeted tax relief and credits, including expanding the Child Tax Credit and creating or expanding tax credits for families dealing with high child-care costs. He also criticizes tariffs and corporate price increases, arguing that working families are being squeezed by both Washington policy and concentrated corporate power. A larger Child Tax Credit would increase after-tax income for families with children and could reduce child poverty, but if not offset it would add to federal deficits. Cooper has not presented a full pay-for list. As governor, Cooper repeatedly opposed Republican tax-cut packages and argued that North Carolina should spend more on education, health care, and state employees. In the Senate, he would likely favor preserving or expanding family credits while resisting large upper-income or corporate tax cuts. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper has opposed the largest tax cut for working Americans and instead is campaigning on raising taxes to pay for programs such as the Child Tax Credit that would benefit select taxpayers."

Environment & Energy (Policy)

Cooper has a long record of supporting clean-energy mandates and climate policy. As governor, he issued executive orders setting greenhouse-gas reduction goals, promoting electric vehicles, and directing state agencies toward a cleaner energy economy. He also signed House Bill 951, a bipartisan energy law requiring the state Utilities Commission to pursue a 70% carbon reduction from power-sector emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Cooper’s campaign argues that utility bills are too high and that data centers should not push costs onto households. That argument sits beside his support for energy-transition mandates that can require large grid, generation, and transmission investments. As governor, Cooper appointed members of a North Carolina Utilities Commission who, in 2023, approved plans to phase in higher electricity rates through 2026. CBO’s January 2025 baseline placed the 2026–2035 deficit cost of federal wind and solar investment and production credits at about $300 billion. CBO also found the credits would stimulate investment while warning that wage, domestic-content, and location conditions can steer capital toward higher-cost projects. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper is campaigning on and has enacted policies that raise the price of energy for taxpayers. As governor, North Carolina experienced a significant increase in energy prices, and as Senator, Cooper’s policies would bring about the same results."

Immigration (Policy)

Cooper has supported sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants. As governor, Cooper vetoed legislation that would have required North Carolina sheriffs to cooperate more closely with federal immigration detainers, arguing that the bills were unconstitutional or would make communities less safe by discouraging cooperation with local authorities. Under Cooper’s administration, North Carolina’s Division of Employment Security paid nearly $50 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits, much of which went to illegal immigrants. Cooper also released criminals, including illegal aliens, many of whom have repeatedly been arrested and re-released. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper is running on a platform of putting illegal immigrants ahead of American taxpayers. As governor, he worked to defend and to fund illegal immigrants, and as Senator he would do the same."

Public Safety (Policy)

Cooper served as North Carolina attorney general and generally has avoided “defund the police” rhetoric, however, he has supported criminal-justice legislation and policing reforms after 2020, including measures related to officer certification, misconduct reporting, and training. He is in favor of gun control. During his time as governor, Cooper released 3,500 criminals from prison, including the man who murdered Iryna Zarutska. On his way out of office, Cooper released 15 convicted killers from death row. Cooper supports stronger gun restrictions, including background-check policies and limits associated with Democratic gun-safety proposals. Supporters argue that these steps would reduce violent crime and mass-shooting risk. Critics argue that they burden lawful gun owners while doing less to incapacitate repeat violent offenders. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper is a soft-on-crime politician and supports removing Americans’ second amendment rights. He proved himself to be an anti-law enforcement governor, and he appears to want to bring those same policies to Washington."

Economy & Labor (Policy)

Cooper’s campaign says Washington should lower grocery, health-care, utility, child-care, and housing costs. The platform includes support for expanding the Child Tax Credit, cutting child-care costs, lowering drug prices, challenging corporate price gouging, and opposing tariffs. Cooper supports higher wages for teachers and state employees and would likely back federal labor priorities such as easier union organizing and stronger workplace protections. CBO estimated that a federal $15 minimum wage similar to the 2021 Raise the Wage Act could lift 900,000 people from poverty, but would reduce employment by an average 1.4 million workers and increase the deficit by $54 billion before interest. Cooper’s campaign says housing costs too much and proposes cracking down on corporate landlords, banning algorithmic rent-fixing, expanding housing supply, and reducing construction costs. However, under Cooper’s administration housing in North Carolina became significantly less affordable. The median home price in North Carolina rose from $207,000 when Cooper took office in 2017 to $383,000 when he left in 2025 — a jump of $176,000, or 85%. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper is running on affordability, but his record as governor showed he only increased prices for North Carolinians."

Democracy & Campaign Finance (Policy)

Cooper supports easier voter registration, opposition to restrictive voting laws, and is critical of partisan gerrymandering. Cooper’s policies would make it easier to commit voter fraud. As governor, he repeatedly challenged Republican election and redistricting measures and argued that North Carolina voters should choose their politicians rather than politicians choosing their voters. On campaign finance, Cooper would likely support disclosure rules and restrictions aimed at dark money and corporate influence. A critique is that Democrats often oppose outside money in principle while benefiting from large national party, nonprofit, and donor networks in practice. Cooper is a conventional party-backed candidate, not a political outsider. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper’s position would mean support for federal voting-rights legislation that opposes voter ID, expands mail and early voting, and gives Washington more power over state election procedures."

Foreign Policy (Policy)

Cooper’s campaign is primarily domestic, and he has not laid out a detailed foreign-policy doctrine. However, Cooper has not condemned Democrats who openly accuse Israel of genocide, and on October 7, 2025 said “We pray for peace, for all who have suffered in Israel and in Gaza, and for an end to this war.” His stance on Israel has drawn criticism from many in the party’s Jewish caucus and Democratic Majority for Israel. On Israel, China, and defense spending, Cooper has offered less detail than candidates who campaign heavily on national security. That absence is worth noting. North Carolina has a major military presence, including Fort Liberty, Camp Lejeune, and a large veteran population. A serious Senate platform should address defense readiness, veterans’ health, China competition, and the balance between Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and domestic priorities. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cooper’s foreign policy platform is not fully defined and difficult to assess. But his silence on those in his party who accuse Israel of war crimes shows he also may be an anti-Israel radical."

Sources (Reference)

◆ Healthcare
• Roy Cooper Campaign — Make Stuff Cost Less
• Forbes Advisor (Archived) — Most and Least Expensive States for Health Care
• Congressional Budget Office — Budgetary Effects of Permanently Extending Enhanced Marketplace Tax Credits
• Heritage Foundation — Six Reasons Congress Should Not Make Temporary Obamacare Subsidies Permanent

◆ Taxes
• Roy Cooper — Public Statement on the 2025 Tax Law

◆ Environment & Energy
• Roy Cooper Campaign — Make Stuff Cost Less
• Townhall — Analysis of Roy Cooper’s Energy-Cost Record
• Congressional Budget Office — January 2025 Budget and Economic Outlook

◆ Immigration
• Breitbart — Report on Fraudulent Unemployment Payments Under the Cooper Administration
• North Carolina Health News — North Carolina Prison Releases During COVID-19

◆ Public Safety
• Roy Cooper — Public Statement on Gun Policy
• Daily Mail — Reporting on the Iryna Zarutska Murder Case

◆ Economy & Labor
• Congressional Budget Office — Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021
• North Carolina Housing Finance Agency — North Carolina Housing Snapshot

◆ Democracy & Campaign Finance
• No source was included in the submitted material for this section.

◆ Foreign Policy
• National Republican Senatorial Committee — Criticism of Roy Cooper’s Israel Position
• Roy Cooper — October 7 Statement on Israel and Gaza
• WFAE — North Carolina Democratic Party Resolution on Israel