Former two-term governor Roy Cooper will defeat former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley, according to Fox News.
The seat became available when Republican Senator Thom Tillis announced his retirement at the completion of the current term.
It’s a key victory as Democrats need to flip four seats to control the upper chamber. Republicans began the night with a much better chance to retain the Senate than two retain the house, pre-election polling showed.
Cooper held a strong lead over Whatley throughout polling. That lead encouraged outside GOP groups to abandon North Carolina and spend money on other races.
President Donald Trump appeared to wave a white flag in the state in a rally two weeks ago when he said, “(Cooper) is going to become your senator … it’s crazy, you’re going to send him to Washington to represent you.”
Cooper, the first Democrat to win a Senate election in North Carolina in nearly two decades, touted that he would be a "strong, independent senator" who would work with Trump when he could and stand up to him when needed, Fox News reported.
