Polling
New Poll Shows GOP Candidate Surging In Key Senate Race
A new poll from Quantus Insights found former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Whatley, who is currently running as the Republican nominee for Senate in North Carolina, gaining on former Governor Roy Cooper, the Democratic Party nominee. The two candidates are vying to fill the seat currently held by retiring Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican.
The poll, which surveyed 987 likely voters, was conducted from March 31 to April 1, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent. In the Senate matchup, Cooper received 48.6 percent support while Whatley trailed with 43.8 percent.
Undecided voters accounted for an additional 5.7 percent of responses, while 1.9 percent selected other options. The difference between the two major-party candidates stands at 4.8 percentage points when all responses are included.
Breaking down the results further, Quantus found Cooper leading by 15 percentage points among women and by 16 points among independents.
NEW: Quantus Insights North Carolina Midterm Poll | April 2, 2026
📊 U.S. Senate
🔵 Roy Cooper: 48.6%
🔴 Michael Whatley: 43.8%
⚪️ Undecided: 5.7%
⚪️ Other: 1.9%
––Cooper leads by 15 points with women and 16 points with independents.
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📊 Generic House Ballot
🔵… pic.twitter.com/PuFAzckbzf— Quantus Insights (@QuantusInsights) April 2, 2026
Due to his stint as governor, Cooper has benefitted widely from name recognition. The Quantus Insights poll largely falls in line with polling averages, which have found Cooper leading, though it did provide a positive result for Whatley overall.
The Quantus Insights results indicate a narrower margin in the Senate race than suggested by the RealClearPolitics polling average. The current average, compiled from surveys conducted between late July 2025 and late March 2026, shows Cooper at 47.5 percent and Whatley at 39.0 percent, for an 8.5-point advantage for the Democrat.
Whatley’s 43.8 percent support in the new poll exceeds his standing in the closely-watched average by nearly 5 points.
When viewed alongside other recent polling, the Quantus survey also presents a more competitive picture for Whatley. A Carolina Journal poll conducted by Harper Polling in late March showed Cooper ahead by 8 points at 49 to 41 percent. Additional surveys from that period, such as one from YouGov for Catawba College, recorded even wider leads for Cooper.
In the Quantus poll, a separate generic congressional ballot test asked respondents to choose between a generic Democratic candidate and a generic Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. This produced much tighter results, with the generic Democrat receiving 44.7 percent of the vote compared to 43.3 percent for the generic Republican.
In terms of President Donald Trump’s approval rating, 43 percent of respondents expressed a positive opinion, while disapprove responses totaled 54.4 percent. Among those expressing strong views, 50.2 percent strongly disapproved and 32.2 percent strongly approved.
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