North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race officially kicked off as former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley have formally launched their campaigns for the seat where Sen. Thom Tillis isn’t seeking another term. To get a better sense of what we can expect from the campaign and the two leading candidates, WUNC's Colin Campbell sat down with two of the state’s top political strategists. Jim Blaine is co-founder of the firm The Differentiators and the former chief of staff to Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, and Kimberly Reynolds is a co-founder of the firm Maven Strategies and former executive director of the N.C. Democratic Party. Blaine and Reynolds expect the high-profile candidates and a big impact on the Senate balance of power could result in a campaign that breaks spending records.