Former Governor of North Carolina

Roy Cooper served two terms as Governor of North Carolina after being elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, and before that served four terms as state Attorney General¹. He grew up in Nash County, practiced law in Rocky Mount and served in the state legislature¹. He is the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat²¹.

Where they stand 14 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Politicians trading stocksNo, ban it for members and their spousesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Called for banning individual stock trading by members of Congress and top executive branch officials, and pledged not to own or trade individual stocks as a candidate or senator. (2025-12-16) source
  • Challenged his opponent to sell his individual stocks after both candidates said they back a ban. (2026-02) source
• Aid to IsraelKeep full aid without new conditionsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Through a campaign aide, said he generally does not believe the U.S. should withhold aid from Israel, while urging other pressure on the Israeli government to get food to people in Gaza and return the hostages. (2025-08) source
• GunsAdd universal background checks and red-flag lawsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • As governor, called on the legislature to act on two gun bills, including a red flag bill letting family or police ask a judge to restrict a person's access to firearms. (2019-08) source
  • Vetoed Senate Bill 41, which repealed the state pistol purchase permit, saying eliminating strong background checks would let more dangerous people own handguns; the legislature overrode the veto. (2023-03-24) source
• Transgender athletesLet each state, school or sports body decidemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • As governor, vetoed the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, saying these decisions are already handled by parents, schools and sports organizations. (2023-07-05) source
• Energy and climateAn aggressive shift to clean energy with firm deadlinesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • As governor, signed House Bill 951, which requires state regulators to work toward a 70 percent cut in power sector carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. (2021-10-13) source
  • His Senate energy plan focuses on lowering utility bills, making data centers pay the full cost of their power and modernizing the grid. (2026) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Wants to reinstate the expired Affordable Care Act tax credits and reverse Medicaid cuts. (2026) source
  • His campaign says that as governor he reached a bipartisan agreement to expand Medicaid, which covered more than 650,000 people by early 2025. (2025) source
• Drug pricesNegotiate more drugs and extend the insulin and yearly cost caps to private insurancemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Wants Medicare to broaden drug price negotiations and a cap on annual out of pocket prescription costs for consumers. (2026) source
• Childcare and pre-KHelp through tax credits, employer incentives, and parent choicemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Plans to expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, give employers tax credits for on-site care or child care subsidies, and invest in the child care workforce. (2026) source
• Business regulationStronger rules on big corporations, banks and tech companiesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Wants stronger antitrust enforcement to block grocery and food processing mergers and a ban on algorithms that set grocery prices for specific customers. (2026) source
  • Calls for stronger oversight of hospital mergers and a crackdown on pharmacy benefit managers. (2026) source
• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low

  Said · low confidence

  • As governor, vetoed Senate Bill 20, which limited most abortions to the first 12 weeks, saying it would interfere with the doctor and patient relationship; the legislature overrode the veto. (2023-05-13) source
  • Said he fought to protect and expand reproductive rights as governor and would work to protect reproductive freedom as a senator. (2026-06) source
• Trade and tariffsNo single answer fitsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Says he would end what he calls chaotic tariffs that raise costs for farmers and families. (2026) source
  • Reported by The News & Observer as wanting to cut tariffs. (2026-09-19) source
• Minimum wageNo single answer fitsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • As governor, called for raising the state minimum wage and said $15 an hour is an admirable goal, while saying the increase need not be $15. (2019-02-13) source
• Death penaltyNo single answer fitsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • On his last day as governor, commuted the death sentences of 15 people to life without parole after reviewing clemency petitions. (2024-12-31) source
• ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow

  Said · low confidence

  • Supported the 2024 bipartisan Senate border bill, which added border security funding, created new pathways to legal status for people already in the country and changed asylum rules. (2026-08) source
  • Wrote that Border Patrol and ICE should secure the border and deport violent criminals here illegally, and said immigration agents need more accountability. (2026-08) source
  • As governor, vetoed three bills that would have required sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, saying the way they were written was unconstitutional. (2026-08) source

No public position found on: Income taxes, National debt, Social Security, Safety net programs, Foreign policy, Judges, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Supreme Court reform, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Birthright citizenship, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, Aid to Ukraine, China policy.