Democrat Wiley Nickel said Tuesday that he would suspend his campaign for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat and endorsed former Gov. Roy Cooper, who on Monday announced his candidacy in the race.

“It was an honor to work alongside Governor Cooper in the State Senate and in Congress. “I’ve seen firsthand his steady, bipartisan leadership,” Nickel said of Cooper in a statement Tuesday. “He listens, he shows up, and he gets things done. … His leadership has made a real difference.”

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The move clears the Democratic field for Cooper, who instantly becomes the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. WRAL previously reported his plans to drop out of the race.

Nickel, a former U.S. congressman from Wake County, is now exploring a candidacy for the Wake County district attorney seat being vacated by Democrat Lorrin Freeman, people familiar with Nickel’s plans told WRAL on Friday. Freeman, who has held the office for more than a decade, announced in May that she won’t seek reelection in 2026.

“I’ve still got a lot of work left to do, that part hasn’t changed,” Nickel said in his statement. “Public service is a part of who I am and you’ll hear more from me soon.”

Cooper, who was considered a considerable favorite over Nickel, is expected to face a Republican heavyweight in the 2026 general election.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party for five years, is expected to announce his candidacy for the seat this week. He would join a GOP primary field that includes former lieutenant governor candidate Andy Nilsson and former congressional candidate Don Brown. President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed Whatley in the race, which is expected to be one of the most expensive in the nation.

Nickel’s move helps the party save money and face; it protects Cooper from a mud-slinging, budget-busting primary. While it’s not too late for another Democrat to enter the field, few expect one to challenge Cooper, who is undefeated in statewide elections dating to the 1980s.

Nickel announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat in 2024. The Cary attorney was a state senator before running for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 representing parts of Wake, Johnston, Harnett and Wayne counties.

His congressional race was one of the most competitive in the nation. The district leaned Republican, but Nickel managed to defeat Trump-backed Republican Bo Hines. His ability to win in a Republican district emboldened him to seek the Senate seat.

Nickel had been among the more progressive Democrats in the state legislature. But during his single term in Congress, he aligned himself with the centrist wing of the party. Nickel chose not to run for reelection to his House seat in 2024 after Republican state lawmakers redrew his district from a tossup to one that more strongly favored a GOP candidate.

The candidates are seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who said last month said he wouldn’t seek reelection after opposing Trump-backed legislation — the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill — because it would end Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians. His opposition widened a rift between Tillis and Trump. After Trump said he would consider endorsing other Republicans for the seat, Tillis ended his reelection plans.

“We started this campaign to send Thom Tillis packing,” Nickel said in his statement. “Well, mission accomplished, I guess.”