Motivated older voters could shape NC’s 2026 US Senate race, poll finds

By Christine Zhu, NCNewsline

Voters above the age of 50 could play a major role in North Carolina’s 2026 election, according to a new poll.

Older voters typically have the highest turnout in elections. But they appear to be even more motivated than usual to vote this year. 

The AARP, an organization that represents the interests of people 50 and older, found in a survey released Monday that 83% of voters 50 and older rate their motivation to vote as a 10 out of 10, compared to 66% of voters under age 50.

In North Carolina’s 2026 primary election, voters above the age of 65 accounted for 35% of all voters.

Financial security, democracy and healthcare are some of the voting bloc’s top issues. 

Among voters over 50, two-fifths said their top concern is affordability, and 29% ranked threats to democracy as their second issue.

At 93%, almost all respondents older than 50 said they are more likely to support a candidate who would ensure workers receive their earned Social Security benefits, and 84% are more likely to back a candidate who would expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices. 

Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper continues to maintain a double-digit edge over former Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley, 53-42 out of all voters. However, among voters older than 50, Whatley leads by 6 points, 51-45. 

A Note from Joel: Because the results of this year's election may affect the alcohol beverage industry more than normal (think tariffs), I'm going to republish articles from reputable news services about polling in individual state elections. We all tend to hear about national polls, but its what happens at the state level that matters in this and all elections.