7 predictions for N.C. politics in 2025

How I see the 2026 U.S. Senate race shaping up and how incoming Gov. Josh Stein will wield power

Out of all the end-of-year media tropes, there’s one I particularly love: prediction pieces.

And so, here are my bold and not-so-bold predictions for North Carolina politics in 2025. All of them are designed to have a clear yes or no answer, so at the end of the year we can we how many of them came to pass. You’ll have the opportunity to weigh in on each prediction, too.

Roy Cooper will run for U.S. Senate

Somehow, we’re already reaching the end of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’s second term, and the prevailing wisdom is that outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper will challenge him for the seat in 2026.

Cooper certainly doesn’t need to: He’ll be nearly 70 years old by that Election Day and just served two pretty successful (from his perspective, at least) terms as governor.

But my gut says he will run: Cooper loves national politics too much and has not had the chance to directly participate in it. I think Cooper also values the chance to stay as the head of the state Democratic Party.

For this prediction to…