The GOP is MIA in North Carolina (with Chris Cooper)

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Longwell, S. (2026, September 5). The GOP is MIA in North Carolina (with Chris Cooper). The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-gop-is-mia-in-north-carolina

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The Bulwark · collected 2026-09-05 · by Sarah Longwell commentary

Quick Summary

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is likely to win his state's election this year due in part to the fact that nobody knows who his opponent is. According to Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper, North Carolina has been a difficult state for Democrats to win in recent years. Professor Cooper joins a discussion about the US Senate and House races in North Carolina and whether Democratic successes can translate into carrying the state in 2028. The article does not provide specific numbers or details about the election.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-05, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Here's a summary of the article

North Carolina, which has been challenging for Democrats to win for nearly two decades, may be shifting in their favor due to a lack of a strong Republican opponent. According to Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, Roy Cooper, the popular former governor of North Carolina, is on the verge of winning the U.S. Senate seat this year. The uncertainty surrounding the Republican candidate has contributed to the Democrats' momentum. This development could have significant implications for the 2028 elections and potentially alter the balance of power in North Carolina.

Written for “North Carolina Politics” on 2026-10-21, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 North Carolina Politics
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
110
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-05 · source text last changed 2026-09-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 468 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Sarah Longwell
22 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 How do democracies fall apart, and why do the people who could stop it so often look the other way?
2026-10-21 · mixed framing · Dana Bash Sees a Political Earthquake Coming in Texas and Maine
🔮 But still, the voters who will decide this race are reverting to their tribal instincts.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Darline Graham’s Seat Isn’t Safe. These Voters Explain Why.
🔮 There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are ‘sayin’ there’s a chance,’ like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance.
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2026-09-26 · assertive framing · Republicans Are Suddenly Fighting for Their Lives in Ohio (with Andrew Tobias)
🔮 All profits from this event will be donated to those in Springfield who are in need.
2026-09-23 · assertive framing · Andrew Weissmann: Trump’s White House Press Ban Is Going to Lose in Court
🔮 The decade spanning 2015 to 2025 will likely be recorded by historians as the era of the “Great Media Unraveling,” a period when the unified broadcasting models of the twentieth century shattered into distinct, self-sustaining, and mostly not-overlapping digital ecosystems.
2026-09-14 · assertive framing · How MAGA Bewildered Voters Into Its Alternate Reality
🔮 Veteran Texas journalist Christopher Hooks of Texas Monthly joins Sarah to talk about Ken Paxton's sordid history in Texas Republican politics, how Texas Trump voters are responding to James Talarico, whether the race for governor may turn competitive, and how data centers and Flock surveillance cameras are presenting an opportunity to recapture some disaffected Trump voters.
2026-09-12 · assertive framing · Something's Happening in Texas (with Chris Hooks)
Also by Sarah Longwell
Dana Bash Sees a Political Earthquake Coming in Texas and Maine
2026-10-21 · The Bulwark
Darline Graham’s Seat Isn’t Safe. These Voters Explain Why.
2026-10-20 · The Bulwark
Bulwark LIVE: Charlotte
2026-10-19 · The Bulwark
Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey)
2026-10-17 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 22 articles by Sarah Longwell →

Topics

Democrats GOP North Carolina U.S. Senate Western Carolina University

Subjects

North Carolina GPE · 4× Democrats NORP · 3× Sarah PERSON · 3× Chris Cooper PERSON · 2× JVL ORG · 2× GOP ORG · 1× House ORG · 1× Roy Cooper PERSON · 1× U.S. Senate ORG · 1× Western Carolina University ORG · 1×

Narrative

A subscription gets you: - Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. - Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. - Plus community chats and commenting features.
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Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

North Carolina has been a difficult nut for Democrats to crack for nearly two decades. North Carolina has been a difficult nut for Democrats to crack for nearly two decades. asserted
Democrats → crack → decades
But relatively popular former Gov. Roy Cooper appears to be on the verge of changing that this year, partly because NOBODY knows who his opponent is. asserted
opponent → appear → that
Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper joins Sarah to discuss this year's U.S. Senate race, the House landscape in North Carolina and whether some recent successes for Democrats can translate into carrying the state in 2028. asserted
successes → join → 2028
Just announced: Pete Buttigieg is joining the gang—Tim, Sarah, JVL and Sam—for Bulwark LIVE: Charlotte at the Carolina Theatre on October 18. asserted
Buttigieg → announce → October
How to Eat an Elephant is dropping September 9. asserted
Eat → eat → Elephant
Be sure to get your copy and let’s unseat Ted Effing Cruz from the NY Times Best Sellers list. asserted
’s → get → list
Full ad-supported episodes of The Focus Group are available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. asserted
you → support → YouTube
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. asserted
Join → join → post
A subscription gets you: - Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. - Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. - Plus community chats and commenting features. asserted
subscription → get → Podcast
Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. asserted
who → help → membership
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