Dem former North Carolina Governor is “strongly considering a run” for the US Senate seat to be vacated by Thom Tillis next year and “will decide in the coming weeks” on whether to launch a campaign, Cooper’s top political adviser tells Politico about his thinking. It’s not clear what the hell the holdup is, even if “strongly considering” is obviously a good sign. National Dems see the seat as still winnable but a much longer shot should Cooper ultimately pass on it.

Further down the article Politico lists some potential backup candidates should Cooper end up passing: “former Rep Dan McCready, former Environmental Protection Agency Director Michael Regan, Lt Gov Rachel Hunt, state Rep Sarah Crawford and Canton, NC, Mayor Zeb Smathers.”

An April UNC Law School alum newsletter article includes a pic of Smathers’ head turning toward President Joe Biden in the Oval Office during a November 2024 meeting about the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. It’s not clear which one of the two men with short, dark hair looking at Biden is Smathers, though it’s likely he’s the one on the right since it’d make more sense to have then-Governor-Elect/Attorney General Josh Stein sitting closer to the president than a mayor.

Mayor of a town of about 4,400 people. Not a city. Another possible sign of Smathers’ low profile is that the first Google search result for him is his LinkedIn page. “Attorney at Smathers and Smathers Attorneys At Law” is his title. “Mayor – Town of Canton | Nov 2017 – Present · 7 yrs 9 mos.”

Yeah, so barring this guy being a Pete Buttigieg-caliber hidden gem of political talent – which maybe he’s got some if he’s good enough to get an Oval Office invite – one might be inclined to write off the 2026 North Carolina Senate race for Dems if he’s going up against Lara Trump, who isn’t talented so much as going to have a fucking avalanche of money behind her if/when she runs.

Dems really need Cooper to jump in. Hopefully he’s got a good technical/logistical reason to be holding off on launching rather than genuinely experiencing difficulty making the decision.

In related and expected news Dem former Texas Congressman Collin Allred on Tuesday officially launched his second run for Senate in the Lone Star State. Dude better bring his A-game.