← 2026 Senate map · Likely D
North Carolina Senate polls
Cooper (D) vs. Whatley (R)
Roy Cooper leads the 2026 North Carolina Senate race by 9.6 points in PolitiKool's polling average, as of Oct. 11, 2026.
- Cooper 50.5%, Whatley 40.9%.
- 13 polls from 12 pollsters, weighted by recency, sample size, pollster record and partisan sponsorship.
- The margin has moved 1.2 points toward Roy Cooper over the past month.
- Rated Likely D, combining the average with the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Inside Elections.
- The seat is held by Thom Tillis (R).
North Carolina Senate polling average
Roy Cooper50.5%
Michael Whatley40.9%
MarginCooper +9.6
Average as of Oct. 11, 2026 · — Roy Cooper · — Michael Whatley
Latest North Carolina Senate polls
| Dates | Pollster | Sample | Cooper | Whatley | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 30 – Oct. 3 | East Carolina University | 810 LV | 53% | 46% | Cooper +7 |
| Sept. 27–29 | Big Data Poll / Public Polling Project | 642 LV | 51% | 39% | Cooper +12 |
| Sept. 21–22 | Quantus Insights (partisan) | 686 LV | 48% | 43% | Cooper +5 |
| Sept. 17–20 | Fabrizio Ward/Impact Research | 1,806 LV | 53% | 42% | Cooper +11 |
| Sept. 17–20 | Opinion Diagnostics | 857 LV | 51% | 41% | Cooper +10 |
| Sept. 15–18 | YouGov | 3,864 RV | 52% | 41% | Cooper +11 |
| Sept. 16–17 | InsiderAdvantage | 1,200 LV | 48% | 43% | Cooper +6 |
| Sept. 9–16 | High Point University Survey Research Center | 706 LV | 50% | 42% | Cooper +8 |
| Sept. 13–15 | Harper Polling / Carolina Journal | 608 LV | 49% | 34% | Cooper +15 |
| Sept. 4–15 | Catawba College/YouGov | 885 LV | 47% | 35% | Cooper +12 |
| Sept. 8–10 | The Trafalgar Group (partisan) | 1,084 LV | 48% | 42% | Cooper +6 |
| Aug. 31 – Sept. 3 | East Carolina University | 675 LV | 52% | 44% | Cooper +8 |
| Aug. 21–31 | Elon University/YouGov | 565 LV | 49% | 38% | Cooper +11 |
| Aug. 3–12 | High Point University Survey Research Center | 660 LV | 50% | 45% | Cooper +5 |
| Aug. 9–10 | Harper Polling / The Carolina Journal | 600 LV | 52% | 39% | Cooper +13 |
| Aug. 3–6 | Change Research / Carolina Forward | 915 LV | 50% | 43% | Cooper +7 |
| July 29 – Aug. 1 | Change Research / Talking About Politics | 967 LV | 50% | 41% | Cooper +9 |
| July 23–31 | Elon University/YouGov | 466 LV | 53% | 42% | Cooper +11 |
| July 23–27 | Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research / Fox News | 1,005 RV | 53% | 44% | Cooper +9 |
| July 21–23 | Elon University/YouGov | 717 RV | 51% | 35% | Cooper +16 |
| July 10–11 | Public Policy Polling (partisan) | 759 LV | 48% | 44% | Cooper +4 |
| June 15–27 | The New York Times/Siena University | 601 LV | 50% | 43% | Cooper +7 |
| June 1–10 | YouGov / Catawba College Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service | 905 LV | 48% | 34% | Cooper +14 |
| May 10–11 | Harper Polling / Carolina Journal | 600 LV | 50% | 39% | Cooper +11 |
| May 4–8 | Change Research / Carolina Forward | 957 LV | 49% | 42% | Cooper +7 |
| April 21–24 | Opinion Diagnostics (partisan) | 830 LV | 50% | 41% | Cooper +9 |
| March 26 – April 6 | High Point University Survey Research Center/YouGov | 703 LV | 50% | 42% | Cooper +8 |
| March 31 – April 1 | Quantus Insights (partisan) | 987 LV | 49% | 44% | Cooper +5 |
| March 22–23 | Harper Polling / Carolina Journal | 600 LV | 49% | 41% | Cooper +8 |
| March 9–18 | YouGov / Catawba College Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service | 871 LV | 48% | 34% | Cooper +14 |