Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in an open-seat race that is expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 contests.

In his first public event after news of his impending Senate campaign broke, former Governor Roy Cooper asked everyone in the audience planning to run for office in 2026 to please stand for a round of applause.

Senate campaign announced it raised more than $3.4 million in the 24 hours since launching Monday. Cooper’s campaign said it raised $2.6 million for his Senate campaign plus an additional $900,000 for the Democratic Party.