Roy Cooper broke fundraising records in his first 24 hours as a Senate candidate — a massive cash boost the former North Carolina governor will need for what’s expected to become one of the most expensive statewide campaigns in U.S. history.

A former congressman will no longer seek an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina next year now that fellow Democrat Roy Cooper is running for the post.Tuesday's announcement by ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel came the day after Cooper,

With former Gov. Roy Cooper widely viewed as Democrats’ best bet of flipping outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis's (R-NC) seat, former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel declined to mount a primary challenge against him.