Roy Cooper in his bid to win a key U.S. Senate race that is still more than a year away. The clash has sent early signals of just how heated the North Carolina Senate race will be. It already was anticipated to be a key 2026 Senate race for Democrats seeking to claim a Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections and now could be among the most expensive Senate campaigns in U.S. history. Democrats see the popular former governor’s bid for the open North Carolina seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in a landscape that largely favors Republicans. The state NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and others had sued to address prison conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.