Cooper laughs off 2026 Senate speculation, says he's 'open to new ideas' on teacher pay

Gov. Roy Cooper plans to study up in the coming weeks on a proposal to overhaul the way teachers are paid in North Carolina, saying Thursday that he’s “open to new ideas” and planning to meet with educators.

The governor also pushed away talk that he may run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2026, speculation fueled by a recent social media post he made criticizing U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.

"I have no idea about that,” Cooper said with a laugh, when reporters asked about his plans.

Cooper said Thursday that he hasn’t seen enough details to have an opinion yet, but that he plans to go into the plan in depth in the next few weeks.

“We've got to be open to new ideas,” he said. "I want them to come up with a good plan that will be effective in paying teachers more and attracting and retaining really good, diverse teachers.”

The Democratic governor also noted that his last several budget proposals included higher teacher salaries than what ultimately cleared the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

As for Tillis, earlier this week Cooper called out the Republican senator on Twitter for voting against a cap on insulin prices and against the PACT Act, which would help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic chemicals, including contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, an issue Tillis himself has pushed for years.

Cooper is term-limited and will leave the governor’s mansion after 2024. Tillis will be up for reelection in 2026, and his future plans aren’t known. The governor indicated Thursday that people should not read too far into his tweet.

“I just thought that those two votes were outlandish and unconscionable,” Cooper said Thursday. “And I felt like we needed to say something publicly about it.

“It’s clearly for politics,” he said. “[Republicans] don't want President Biden to succeed. They don't want Democrats in Congress to succeed. And in order to push that political agenda … they’re willing to vote against cheaper drugs for people and against veterans.”

“There are no Liz Cheneys running for governor in this country,” Cooper said, referring to the Wyoming Republican who has drawn fire from her own party for pushing back against former President Donald Trump’s lies and participating in congressional hearings about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“What we have is right-wing, MAGA candidates who are trying to out-MAGA each other,” Cooper said, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. “And then when they get the nomination they turn around and try to act more moderate.”

Cooper also expressed concern that the spending has fueled questions and criticism.

"That issue is so small, within the big scheme of things,” he said.