North Carolina: Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley win primaries to set up Senate contest

Former Democratic governor Cooper to take on Trump-backed Whatley for seat held by retiring Thom Tillis Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxNorth Carolina’s competitive Senate race came into shape on Tuesday, with former Democratic governor Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley winning their respective primaries.In the Democratic primary, former two-term governor Cooper was ahead in recent polling against the slate of other candidates who have never held elected office. Cooper is widely seen among North Carolina’s Democrats as their best chance at flipping a Republican-controlled seat, now held by retiring US senator Thom Tillis, a conservative who has turned hard against the Trump administration on its handling of healthcare, defense and the Epstein file disclosures. Continue reading...