Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor now running as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, has declined to sign a pledge distancing his party from socialist candidates, saying Democrats need to make room for “all kinds of folks” as they compete against Republicans.
In video footage obtained by Fox News Digital, Cooper was asked whether he would sign the Promise to America, a document circulated by moderate Democrats that repudiates positions associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Cooper said no.
“I don’t see any need to,” Cooper said. “I think the party needs a wide spectrum, particularly at a time when the Republican Party is shrinking and having all kinds of loyalty tests. I think we need to have all kinds of folks to be a part of our party.”
The comment surfaces as Cooper campaigns to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., in a state that has leaned Republican in recent statewide races. It also puts renewed attention on how far moderate Democrats are willing to go in embracing the party’s left flank as socialist-aligned candidates gain traction in 2026 midterm primaries nationwide.
What the DSA advocates
The DSA’s platform, according to the group’s own website, includes abolishing the U.S. Senate, placing corporations under public ownership, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The organization describes a vision in which housing, health care, education, food, energy, medicine and transportation would no longer function as for-profit industries.
“You have no debt. You don’t need health insurance. You don’t pay a mortgage or have a landlord, because comfortable housing is a human right. Your retirement is publicly funded. Food, education, energy, medicine and transportation aren’t for-profit businesses; they are common goods and utilities,” the group states.
Cooper distances himself from the label
Cooper is not affiliated with or endorsed by the DSA. He has built his campaign around his record working with a Republican-controlled state legislature during his eight years as governor, from 2017 to 2025.
Asked by the New York Times whether he was a communist, Cooper said, “For the record, no. I have a record of working across the aisle. The people of North Carolina know that I can be a senator that puts them first. Before power, before party, before politics. I feel confident that at the end of the day, they’ll send me to Washington.”
Fox News Digital asked Cooper’s campaign whether his platform conflicts with DSA positions. The campaign declined to answer that question directly, saying his commitments are to North Carolina voters alone.
“The only pledge Roy makes is to the people of North Carolina. Roy is not a socialist and he will work with anyone, including Republicans, as he has done his entire career to lower costs for hardworking families and fight for North Carolina,” the campaign told Fox News Digital.
Republican reaction
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argued that moderate Democrats are avoiding a fight with their party’s left because they fear alienating progressive voters ahead of November. Speaking Thursday at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures, Cruz said the dynamic is “dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left,” adding that finding ideological middle ground between now and Election Day has little chance of success. He also said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “is truly terrified right now.”
In the same video interview, Cooper framed party unity as a matter of political survival rather than ideology.
“Particularly now when we’re in such difficult straits and we’re in a foxhole right now. We’ve all got to be together to take our government back. We could fall to the autocracy, anytime we don’t stick together. So, I don’t see the need signing something,” Cooper said.
Cooper now advances to the Nov. 3 general election, where he will face Republican nominee Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, for the seat Tillis is vacating.
