Democrat Wiley Nickel may suspend NC Senate campaign: Reports

Former Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.), who launched his campaign for Senate in April, is now mulling whether to suspend his campaign and instead enter the race for an open district attorney position in Wake County, two local stations and Semafor reported Friday.

A shift from Nickel would open up the Senate field for former Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who has not yet formally launched his campaign but is expected to do so next week, Axios reported. Many Democrats are hoping the former governor will run for the seat that is wide open after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced he would not seek reelection.

Nickel served one term in Congress, from 2022 to 2024, opting not to run again after his district was redrawn to heavily favor Republicans.

Nickel is instead considering entering the race for the open district attorney position in Wake County, the state’s most populous, WNCN and WRAL reported.

Democrats are hoping North Carolina could be a prime pickup opportunity in the upcoming midterms. The party would need to flip four seats to gain control of the upper chamber.

The general election is shaping up to be a showdown between Cooper and Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, who is running with the blessing of President Trump. 

Tillis’s successful reelection bid in 2020 became the most expensive race in Senate history after a close challenge from Democrat Cal Cunningham. The Republican senator announced he would not seek reelection in June after Trump mulled backing a challenger over Tillis’s opposition to the “big, beautiful bill.” 

After Tillis announced he would retire, the Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up.

Nickel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.