In an election year of astronomically high stakes, in the absolutely crucial Senate race in North Carolina, Democrats got their wish with popular former Governor Roy Cooper entering the race. Fresh from announcing his candidacy,

Suffice it to say politics is rough in the Tar Heel State, and the midterm Senate clash should be expensive and vicious. But in Cooper, Democrats have their ideal candidate. When he hit a two-term limit as governor in 2016,

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is expected to run for the Senate in North Carolina, setting up a marquee race in next year’s midterms, two sources familiar with Whatley’s plans tell CNN.