WASHINGTON – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate on Monday, offering his Democratic Party one of its best opportunities nationwide to win back a Republican-held seat in next year’s midterm elections.

Cooper, 68, moved after two-term Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he would retire following President Donald Trump’s attacks on him in the leadup to the chamber’s vote on the sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.

That new law with its estimated $3-trillion price tag is a top target for Cooper’s campaign, as his party aims to win back power in a chamber that Republicans control 53-47.

“Politicians in D.C. are running up our debt, ripping away our healthcare, disrespecting our veterans, cutting help for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires,” Cooper said in his campaign video. “That’s wrong, and I’ve had enough.”

Cooper’s track record of winning in the competitive state that voted for Trump in presidential elections positions him as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary against former U.S. Representative Wiley Nickel.

Last week, Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, said she would not run for the open seat, setting up a potential general election matchup with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.

Democrats face a challenge to win back the Senate, as they would need to defend seats in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire where incumbents are retiring, and flip at least four Republican-held seats for a majority.

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(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Rod Nickel)