Michael Whatley to face Roy Cooper in North Carolina Senate race

North Carolina primary voters on Tuesday set up a high-stakes match in November that will help decide which party controls the Senate.

Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, will face off against former Gov. Roy Cooper, voters decided Tuesday.

Both were heavy favorites in pre-election polling and easily cruised to victory in the state’s primary.

Democrats see Mr. Cooper, a moderate, popular two-term governor, as their chance to hold a Senate seat from North Carolina for the first time since 2014.

Mr. Cooper easily secured the Democratic nomination after serving two consecutive terms as governor in a state that voted for President Trump in the past three presidential elections.

The seat was left open after the decision by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis not to seek a third term.

North Carolina was among three states to hold primaries Tuesday.

In Texas, some results were delayed by two hours to give Dallas County a chance to sort out new precinct rules that resulted in confusion and voters getting turned away at the polls.

The Republicans’ bitter and expensive U.S. Senate primary battle pitted four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn against state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Mr. Trump made no endorsement.

With fewer than half of all votes tallied, Mr. Cornyn led Mr. Paxton 42.8% to 40.6%. A third candidate, Rep. Wesley Hunt trailed the pair with 13.1% of the vote.

The three-way contest will not produce any candidate winning more than 50% of the vote, NBC News projected Tuesday evening.

In that event, the top two candidates will face off in a May 26 runoff.

The Senate seat in Texas is considered relatively safe for Republicans, but Democrats believe they will have a better shot at winning in November if Mr. Paxton is on the ballot.

His decade serving as Texas attorney general brought an impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives, indictments on three felony charges of state securities fraud, and accusations of marital infidelity that led his wife of 38 years to file for divorce.

He also is accused of firing four top deputies who reported accusations of corruption to the FBI. The firings resulted in a lawsuit and subsequent $6.6 million judgment against the state that taxpayers must now pay for.

Mr. Cornyn highlighted Mr. Paxton’s legal and personal troubles in campaign ads. Mr. Paxton attacked Mr. Cornyn as an underachieving incumbent who has been in Washington far too long.

Among Democratic Senate primary voters, early returns showed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett short of the votes needed to defeat state Rep. James Talarico.

Ms. Crockett pitched herself to voters as the candidate who will best block Mr. Trump’s agenda, and she called on the president to be impeached.

She accused Democrats who backed her opponent of racially motivated attacks that included attack ads that the Black lawmaker said darkened her skin.

Mr. Talarico, who is White, ran as an underdog who pledged to fight corruption and “win power back for working people.”

With less than 50% of the vote counted, Mr. Talarico led Ms. Crockett by 53% to 45.8%.

Mr. Whatley’s victory in North Carolina was hardly a surprise.

He was assured a win with the help of an endorsement from Mr. Trump, whose daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, took a pass on entering the race.

He easily prevailed over Republican opponents, who included Donald Brown, a lawyer who served in the Navy, and Michele Morrow, the party’s 2024 nominee for state superintendent of public instruction

Mr. Whatley campaigned on lowering the cost of living and improving public safety. He also called for a full ban on stock trading by members of Congress.

He thanked Mr. Trump in his victory speech.

“His leadership has changed our country, and I am proud to stand with him in the fight to secure our border, to strengthen our economy and put America first,” Mr. Whatley said.

Mr. Cooper also ran on improving affordability, creating jobs and increasing public safety.

Mr. Trump last month called Mr. Cooper a “radical left” governor and accused him of soft-on-crime policies that let dangerous criminals roam free.

Democrats see Mr. Cooper as a candidate who can flip a Republican Senate seat. Several polls show him leading Mr. Whatley in a November matchup.

Mr. Cooper, in his victory speech, accused Mr. Whatley of supporting Washington policies that are raising the cost of living, and he distanced himself from the far-left wing of his own party.

“I’m running for Senate to be an independent voice for North Carolinians, and I’ll work with anyone to make stuff cost less for families in our state,” he said.

In the Arkansas Republican Senate primary, incumbent Sen. Tom Cotton coasted to an overwhelming victory over challengers Jeb Little and Micah Ashby.