5 minPolitics
Undercover Video Shows Roy Cooper Declining to Sign Anti-Socialist Pledge
A newly surfaced undercover video shows Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper declining to sign a moderate-backed pledge rejecting socialism, saying the party needs a wide spectrum as socialist candidates gain ground in Democratic primaries.
A newly surfaced undercover video shows Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina, declining to sign a pledge circulated by moderate Democrats that repudiates socialist positions, saying his party should welcome a broad range of views as it fights to regain power in Washington.
In the footage, Cooper is asked whether he would sign the Promise to America, a statement put forward by moderate Democrats distancing the party from socialist stances. His answer was direct: «I don’t see any need to.» He went on to argue that the party benefits from a wide spectrum of members, particularly as the Republican Party, in his description, shrinks and imposes loyalty tests on its own ranks. «I think we need to have all kinds of folks to be a part of our party,» Cooper said.
The comments come as Cooper campaigns to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, in a state that has historically leaned Republican in federal elections. The race is among the most closely watched Senate contests in the country, and Cooper’s positioning on the party’s ideological boundaries is likely to be a central line of attack from his opponent.
Cooper is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and his campaign has emphasized his record of working with a Republican-controlled legislature during his tenure as governor from 2017 to 2025. The DSA, according to its website, supports positions including abolishing the U.S. Senate, establishing public ownership of corporations, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The group describes a society in which housing, retirement, food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation are treated as common goods rather than for-profit businesses.
Asked directly whether he is a Communist, Cooper told the New York Times: «For the record, no.» He added that he has a record of working across the aisle and that voters in North Carolina know he would put them first — «before power, before party, before politics.» His campaign declined to say whether his platform conflicts with the DSA’s views, saying his only pledge 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,» his campaign said.
Some Republicans are skeptical of that framing. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said moderates are afraid to challenge their party’s progressive flank as candidates championing the far left gain traction in the 2026 midterm primaries. Speaking at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures, Cruz described the dynamic as dangerous and said the prospects for finding middle ground on ideological issues before election day are not high. He also said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is «truly terrified» of the current political environment.
In the video interview, Cooper said the party would only weaken itself in its resistance to the administration if it fails to band together. «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,» he said. «We could fall to the autocracy, anytime we don’t stick together. So, I don’t see the need signing something.»
Cooper secured the Democratic nomination and now heads to the Nov. 3 general election, where he faces Republican nominee Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee. The contest will test whether Cooper’s big-tent approach can hold together a Democratic coalition in a state where moderate and progressive factions are still negotiating their influence, and whether Republicans can successfully tie him to the party’s left wing despite his efforts to distance himself from it.
