Democrats in North Carolina wasted no time rallying behind leftist former Governor Roy Cooper, as ex-Congressman Wiley Nickel dropped out of the Senate race Tuesday and endorsed Cooper just one day after his campaign launch, giving the far-left Democrat a clear path to the nomination despite his extreme record.
Former Congressman Wiley Nickel suspended his Senate campaign Tuesday and threw his support behind Democrat Roy Cooper, giving the former governor an early boost just one day after his official entry into the race. Nickel, who made headlines in 2024 for proposing a ‘shadow Cabinet’ to oppose President Trump, called Cooper a steady leader and praised his work on disaster recovery and economic development.
But Cooper’s record tells a different story. Under his leadership, North Carolina saw repeated tax hikes on working families. The gas tax increased, the sales tax was expanded, and Cooper stood against President Trump’s bill to protect the largest tax cut in history, boost the child tax credit to $2,500 for 40 million families, and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime for North Carolinian service workers.
“He listens, he shows up, and he gets things done,” Nickel said, crediting Cooper with making North Carolina “the top state for business” and guiding the state “through natural disasters.” Nickel added that Cooper had been an “inspiration” to him and others to step up and serve.
“We started this campaign to send Thom Tillis packing. Well, mission accomplished I guess!” Nickel stated, referencing outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who declined to run for reelection after opposing President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill and facing a backlash from conservatives.
Nickel, who previously called for ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson to pass a Democrat border bill, claimed he was “proud” to back Cooper and vowed to help flip the seat from red to blue.
During his time in office, Nickel faced an ethics complaint from a government watchdog alleging that he improperly used official House resources for political purposes by mixing campaign content with official material on his TikTok account, potentially violating House rules and federal law. The complaint cited videos filmed in the Capitol, including C-SPAN interviews and campaign ads, as evidence of blurred lines between his official duties and political ambitions.
“I proudly endorse Governor Cooper for U.S. Senate and look forward to doing everything I can to help him flip this Senate seat,” Nickel announced, hinting he’s not leaving politics for long. “You’ll hear more from me soon.”
The endorsement comes as President Trump has already championed RNC Chair Michael Whatley for the open seat, calling him a “fantastic” America First leader. Whatley is expected to enter the race soon and has drawn growing support from grassroots conservatives.
Roy Cooper’s candidacy, meanwhile, is drawing scrutiny for his radical record as governor. Cooper vetoed protections for women’s sports, supported transgender surgeries for minors, blocked parental rights legislation, and declared a “state of emergency” over school choice, all while sending his own daughter to elite private school. He also refused to cooperate with ICE in turning over criminal illegal aliens and commuted the sentences of convicted murderers and rapists during his final days in office.
Despite Democrat Party approval ratings plummeting to just 19 percent, Cooper has remained loyal to party leadership through scandal and failure. He defended President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance, insisting “Joe Biden saved this nation,” and later asserted Biden had “cemented his place among our nation’s finest Presidents.” Cooper celebrated Kamala Harris as a “friend” and was reportedly considered a top choice to serve as her running mate. He also stood by disgraced Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, even after Cunningham’s affair with a combat veteran’s wife tanked his 2020 campaign.
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