What if I told you there's a Democrat who can still get the Republican vote?

USA Today

5 days ago

Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper is already giving the national Democratic Party a masterclass in how to run a successful campaign in battleground states.
After months of speculation, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced on July 28 that he would be running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis. It's only been a few days, but Cooper is already giving the national Democratic Party a masterclass in how to run a successful campaign in battleground states.
Cooper, who has never lost an election, has the popularity and experience needed to flip a seat for the Democrats, who haven't won a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina since 2008. As a born and raised North Carolinian, I have seen these qualities firsthand.
North Carolina has been MAGA country since 2016, when President Donald Trump first won the state. The past two U.S. Senate races were expensive and disappointing for Democrats. Within the state, partisan gerrymandering and a voter ID law make it harder for Democrats to win. While Cooper isn't the singular answer to slowing Republican dominance in the state, he is the first candidate in a long time who seems to have a fighting chance.
Roy Cooper's economic track record is good for everybody
North Carolina's economy, once burdened by the decline of factory and agriculture jobs, thrived under Cooper's leadership. During his two terms as governor, the state added more than 640,000 jobs from companies like Toyota, Apple and Eli Lilly.
The state was also ranked America's Top State for Business by CNBC for two consecutive years based on economic investments, its workforce and the state's debt management.
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'For too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream,' Cooper says in the video announcing his campaign. 'Meanwhile, the biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense.'
If his first ad is any indication, the Senate candidate seems to be running on a populist message that is likely to resonate. It's a move that Democrats have been shy to make as they crumble under the MAGA reign, but it's a move that could fare well in a state dominated by Republicans.
Republicans cut Medicaid. Cooper expanded access for North Carolinians.
A crowning achievement of Cooper's tenure as governor is the state's expansion of Medicaid in 2023, which brought coverage to an additional 600,000 North Carolinians. He fought for that expansion for years.
Considering that Medicaid is one of the things Republicans in Congress placed on the chopping block recently, Cooper's hand in bringing access to more North Carolinians is sure to bode well for the former governor.
Democrats, again, could learn from this: It's not enough to talk about social issues. Medicaid just got cut in the federal spending bill, and hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will likely lose coverage, including those who benefited from Medicaid expansion.
This is an issue they can win on, and one that would show they care about what everyday Americans are facing.
The simplest reason? Roy Cooper's actually likable.
Cooper's biggest draw, however, may be how deeply his roots are in the state. He grew up in Nash County and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a lawyer and Sunday School teacher in Rocky Mount before entering politics. He spent several Halloweens dressed up as Sheriff Andy Taylor from 'The Andy Griffith Show." He's taken other Democrats to Cook Out for fast foods on the campaign trail.
He's such a North Carolinian, in fact, that I wondered if he'd ever take the plunge into national politics.
'I never really wanted to go to Washington,' Cooper says in his announcement video. 'I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina right here, where I've lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times.'
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It's a reminder to the national Democratic Party that a quality candidate is also a candidate who loves where they're from. A candidate with deep roots in the community is a candidate who can win elections. There's still merit to the idea that a good candidate is someone you can imagine drinking a beer on the front porch with, especially in the South.
Cooper is clearly a promising candidate who could break through the Republican stronghold in a state that's gone for Trump three elections in a row. But he'll face an uphill battle in the form of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who was selected by Trump.
Republicans are already on the attack, accusing the former governor of "dragging North Carolina left," criticizing his vetoes and complaining that he competently handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, this is the same governor who got more votes than Trump in the 2020 election – his odds are better than one might expect for a purple state.
Cooper's finances are already showing the promise of his Senate campaign, as he raised $3.4 million in the first 24 hours, setting a fundraising record.
If people can get behind a liberal Democrat from rural North Carolina, imagine what would happen if there were candidates of this caliber in all battleground states.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno