Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has a 9-point lead over his challenger, ex-Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, in the North Carolina Senate race, according to a new poll. Advertisement AdvertisementAll eyes are on the battleground state as Republicans look to maintain their majority in the Senate with strong support from President Trump. The president waded into Whatley's campaign in North Carolina early on, endorsing the Republican nominee last July and inviting him to speak at a December rally in Rocky Mount, N.C. The Republican-linked Super Leadership Fund just launched a $17 million ad campaign hammering Cooper over his decisions as governor and painting him as soft on crime.