ECU Poll: Cooper Leads Whatley by 9 Points as Election Day Nears

GREENVILLE, N.C., NOVEMBER 1, 2026

The latest ECU Poll of North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, conducted October 26 through 29, finds Democrat Roy Cooper leading Republican Michael Whatley, 54% to 45%, with 1% supporting a minor-party or write-in candidate. The nine-point margin represents a slight increase from Cooper’s seven-point lead in our report last month. The poll has a credibility interval of ±3.5 percentage points, which is similar to a traditional margin of error.

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• The latest ECU Poll of North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race finds Democrat Roy Cooper leading Republican Michael Whatley, 54% to 45%.
• Cooper’s lead is driven by a 14-point advantage among independent voters and a net-positive favorability rating (52% favorable to 39% unfavorable) compared with Whatley’s net-negative ratings (34% favorable, 44% unfavorable).
• Forty-seven percent of voters name the economy and cost of living as their top issue, and among these voters Cooper leads Whatley by a two-to-one margin, 67% to 33%.

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The Center for Survey Research at East Carolina University conducts nonpartisan public opinion polling on elections, politics, and public policy issues in North Carolina and across the nation.

Peter Francia
252-367-6126
[email protected]

Jonathan Morris
252-367-1067
[email protected]

Source: ECU Center for Survey Research

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