Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is entering the state’s Senate race, a recruitment win for Democrats who hope that the popular former governor will give them a strong chance in one of the most competitive races next year. 

He announced his intention Monday morning in a social media post that leaned into attracting middle-class voters. “It wasn’t always this hard,” he said in the video launching his bid.

“I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina, right here, where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s decision comes after significant speculation that he would enter after eight years as governor in the battleground state. He’ll be trying to win the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R), who announced last month that he wouldn’t seek another term in office. 

Democrats were already hopeful about their chances of picking up the seat next year as Tillis was seen as potentially vulnerable. He seemed to potentially be on track to lose reelection in 2020 but pulled off a narrow victory after the Democratic candidate faced controversy stemming from an affair. 

But party members indicated they liked their chances even more after Tillis, who sought to develop a reputation as a more independent-minded member of the GOP, announced his retirement, particularly as Cooper seemed likely to enter the race. 

Cooper served an unprecedented four terms as state attorney general over 16 years before he unseated then-incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, to be elected governor in 2016. He won that election and reelection in 2020, by a larger margin, despite President Trump carrying the state in the presidential election in both years. 

Cooper isn’t the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, D-N.C., entered the race in April, while others like Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., have expressed interest in potentially running. 

But Democrats in the state previously said they expected Cooper would be the clear choice for the Democratic nomination if he runs. And Semafor reported that Nickel is exploring a possible run for district attorney in Wake County with Cooper as the favorite for the nomination.

But despite Cooper’s popularity, he still will face a challenge winning in a state where Democrats haven’t won a Senate race since 2008. The party has seen more success in gubernatorial races, but they have frequently fallen short in federal contests despite hope for pulling off a win. 

The race for the GOP nomination initially seemed wide open with Tillis out, but Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley is planning to run for the seat with support from Trump.

The president’s daughter-in-law, former RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump, had expressed interest in running, but she ruled out a bid for the seat in a post on X on Thursday. Her name had previously been floated as a possible Senate candidate, but she hasn’t pursued it before.

Whatley hasn’t run for elected office before but led the state GOP for almost five years before being tapped to lead the national party. While a few other individuals have been rumored possible candidates, including Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., and former Ambassador to Denmark James Cain, Whatley would likely have a clear advantage for the Republican nomination.

The North Carolina Senate seat is one of the two main targets for Democrats next year along with the one held by Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins. They would realistically need to win both to have a chance at flipping the Senate in 2026 along with winning in states considered more of an uphill climb.