Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Monday accused lawmakers in Washington, D.C., of “taking food out of the mouths of hungry children” as he gears up for a rough race in the Tar Heel State.

“There are so many bad things coming out of Washington that hurt the middle class and hurt people who are trying and dreaming of being in the middle class, seeing the health care stripped away from them, seeing tax breaks for the wealthy and a pittance for them,” Cooper told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on her show.

“Time and time again, we are seeing Washington hurt everyday people, taking food out of the mouths of hungry children,” he added.

Cooper’s Senate campaign launched Monday, marking a recruitment win for Democrats who hope the popular former governor can give them a good shot in one of the tightest races in 2026.

“It wasn’t always this hard,” Cooper said in a video starting his Senate bid. “I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina, right here, where I’ve lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times.”

A win in North Carolina, a swing state President Trump won in 2024, would be a key pickup for Democrats, who are still reeling from November’s election and trying to figure out why they faced significant losses then.

In a recent CNN/SSRS poll, close to three-quarters of Democratic voters were feeling motivated to vote in the next election cycle. The poll found 72 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters were “extremely motivated” to cast their ballots prior to the midterms.