Roy Cooper

Roy Cooper
Cooper in 2026
United States Senator-elect
from North Carolina
Assuming office
January 3, 2027
SucceedingThom Tillis
75th Governor of North Carolina
In office
January 1, 2017 – January 1, 2025
LieutenantDan Forest
Mark Robinson
Preceded byPat McCrory
Succeeded byJosh Stein
50th Attorney General of North Carolina
In office
January 6, 2001 – January 1, 2017
Governor
Preceded byMike Easley
Succeeded byJosh Stein
Majority Leader of the North Carolina Senate
In office
July 17, 1997 – January 1, 2001
Preceded byRichard Conder
Succeeded byTony Rand
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 10th district
In office
February 21, 1991 – January 1, 2001
Preceded byJim Ezzell
Succeeded byA. B. Swindell
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 72nd district
In office
February 9, 1987 – February 21, 1991
Preceded byAllen Barbee
Succeeded byEdward McGee
Personal details
Born
Roy Asberry Cooper III

(1957-06-13) June 13, 1957 (age 69)
Nashville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1992)​
Children3
FatherRoy Asberry Cooper Jr.
RelativesPell Cooper (brother)
EducationUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA, JD)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website
Cooper's voice
Cooper on the North Carolina response to Hurricane Helene
Recorded October 2, 2024

Roy Asberry Cooper III (/ˈkʊpər/ KUUP-ər; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who is the United States Senator-elect from North Carolina. He was the 75th governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Cooper was elected to the United States Senate in the 2026 election in North Carolina.

Before becoming governor, he served as the 50th attorney general of North Carolina from 2001 to 2017. Cooper also served in the North Carolina General Assembly, in both the House from 1987 to 1991, and in the North Carolina Senate from 1991 to 2001.

Early life

Roy Asberry Cooper III was born in Nashville, North Carolina, on June 13, 1957, to Beverly Thorne (née Batchelor) (1929–2013), a teacher and Roy Asberry Cooper II (1927–2015), a lawyer. Cooper went to public schools and worked on his parents' tobacco farm during summers.

Cooper graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1979.

Political career

He began his career as a lawyer and in 1986 was elected to represent the 72nd district in the North Carolina House of Representatives. In 1991, he was appointed a member of the North Carolina Senate and served the position until 2001. He was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 2000 and reelected in 2004, 2008, and 2012, serving just under 16 years, the second-longest tenure for an attorney general in the state's history.

Cooper defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory for the governorship in a close race in the 2016 election. This election made Cooper the first challenger to beat a sitting governor since 1850. Cooper was reelected in 2020 against the Republican nominee, Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest.

The Republican-dominated legislature passed bills in a special session to reduce the power of the governor's office before he took office. Cooper continued to emphasize increases in education and healthcare funding throughout his term and saw successful negotiations of statewide Medicaid expansion.

In July 2025, Cooper announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election to replace retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. In March 2026, Cooper won the Democratic nomination. He would go on to beat former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the general election in November 2026. He is the first Democratic Senator from North Carolina in almost 21 years since John Edwards.

Personal life

Cooper is married to Kristin Bernhardt. They have three daughters.

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Fain, Travis (15 November 2023). "You're doing it wrong: How to actually pronounce Gov. Roy Cooper's name". WRAL News. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "Journal of the Senate of the 1997 General Assembly of the State of North Carolina|First Session Volume 1" (PDF). carolana.com. 1997. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  3. ↑ Scott, Broughton Name Nash Campaign Leaders. The Nashville Graphic. February 22, 1968.
  4. ↑ Cooper, Siler Will Direct Hunt Drive In Nash County. Rocky Mount Telegram. January 22, 1988.
  5. ↑ Judson, Andie (December 5, 2018). "Meet North Carolina's next governor, Roy Cooper". WNCN-TV. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Attorney General Announces Candidacy For Governor". Charlotte Observer. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Democratic Governors Select Gov. Roy Cooper As Next DGA Chair". Democratic Governors.org. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  8. ↑ Dalesio, Emery. "North Carolina Gov. McCrory Concedes He Lost Re-Election Bid". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Roy Cooper to jump into North Carolina Senate race Monday". POLITICO.
  10. ↑ "Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley Advance in North Carolina Senate Race". The New York Times. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ Cohn, Nate; Ober, Ryley; Reynolds, Evan; Ovalle, David; Keenan, Sean; Jimenez, Jesus; Kauffman, Johnny; Cohn, Nate; Igielnik, Ruth (2026-11-03). "North Carolina U.S. Senate 2026: Live Midterm Election Results, Cooper vs. Whatley". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-11-04.
  12. ↑ "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | North Carolina Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2026-11-04.
  13. ↑ Kristin Cooper. "My dad Capt. Sam Bernhardt with the 7th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, Cu Chi, Vietnam, '66-'67. When he was drafted, he closed his medical practice & left his wife & 4 young children to serve his country. Thanks to every veteran for your service & sacrifice. -KC #VeteransDay". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  14. ↑ Davis, Corey (August 7, 2018). "Service project aids foster kids". Rocky Mount Telegram. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  15. ↑ "N.C. First Lady Kristin Cooper will be 2017 commencement speaker". Saint Mary's School. February 23, 2017. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  16. ↑ Colvard, Bill (June 9, 2018). "Franklin grads, NC first lady reconnect". The Mt. Airy News. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.

Other websites

Media related to Roy Cooper at Wikimedia Commons Quotations related to Roy Cooper at Wikiquote