Democrats are fighting an uphill battle to regain the Senate.
They can’t afford to make any mistakes.
And Chuck Schumer was fuming after a top Democrat made this humiliating blunder.
Roy Cooper Caught Red-Handed Using the ID He Fought to Ban
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper posted photos of himself voting in the state’s Democratic primary as early voting kicked off.
Cooper is running in what could be the most competitive Senate race this fall.
The first photo showed Cooper handing his ID to poll workers – the exact requirement he spent years fighting against as Governor.
Cooper wrote: “I know there’s a lot riding on this race, and I don’t take your vote for granted. You can count on me to represent all North Carolinians in the Senate.”
He deleted the ID photo within hours after Republicans started pointing out the hypocrisy.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee immediately jumped on the blunder.
“Roy Cooper used an ID to vote – the exact thing he fought against mandating as Governor and would oppose as Senator,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia said.
Cooper vetoed voter ID legislation in 2018, calling it “a solution in search of a problem” designed to “suppress the rights of minority, poor and elderly voters.”
North Carolina voters didn’t buy it.
They approved a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID by a 55.5% to 44.5% margin that same year.
The Republican-controlled legislature overrode Cooper’s veto, then Cooper dragged the state through five years of litigation trying to block what voters overwhelmingly approved.
He’s running for Senate while using the very ID he spent eight years trying to ban.
The Same Pattern Is Playing Out Across the Democrat Party
Georgia Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff requires government-issued photo ID to attend his campaign rallies.
His campaign emails state “a matching government-issued ID will be verified against the RSVP list by name to enter.”
Ossoff calls the SAVE America Act – which requires proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote – “a nakedly partisan, totally unworkable, bad-faith bill cynically intended to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee released a digital ad showing Ossoff’s campaign workers demanding ID from rally attendees.
“Do you have your ID with you?” and “I’ll just grab your ID from you” the staffers say as people try to enter.
Republican Rep. Mike Collins is running against Ossoff.
“It’s ridiculous that Jon Ossoff would require a government ID to listen to him speak about why you shouldn’t need a government ID to vote,” Collins said.
The House passed the SAVE America Act Wednesday by a 218-213 vote with only one Democrat – Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar – voting with Republicans.
Democrats like Cooper and Ossoff have to explain why Americans need ID to board planes, buy alcohol, attend their rallies, and vote for them – but requiring ID for federal elections is “voter suppression.”
Democrats Know Voter ID Works – That’s Why They Oppose It
Voter ID is overwhelmingly popular.
A Pew Research Center poll found 83% of adults favor requiring government-issued photo ID to vote – including 71% of Democrats, 76% of Black voters, 82% of Hispanic voters, and 85% of White voters.
Democrats like Cooper and Ossoff know this.
They use ID themselves for their rallies, their events, their own voting.
They just don’t want you to use it.
Voter ID makes it harder to harvest ballots, manipulate voter rolls, and turn elections into the chaotic disaster zones Democrats need to win close races.
Cooper fought voter ID for eight years, vetoed it even after 55% of voters demanded it, then dragged North Carolina through expensive litigation.
The moment he showed up to vote?
He handed over his ID without a second thought, then tried to hide the evidence when Republicans caught him.
Democrats lecture Americans about “voter suppression” while demanding ID at their own campaign events.
Cooper’s blunder proved what Republicans already know.
Democrats don’t oppose voter ID because it’s wrong.
They oppose it because it works.
Sources:
- Misty Severi, “Former North Carolina governor deletes post showing him using ID to vote in NC primary,” Just The News, February 12, 2026.
- Alan Wooten, “Election 2026: Cooper social post is now you see it, now you don’t,” The Center Square, February 13, 2026.
- Jonathan Turley, “Jonathan Turley Spots Major ‘ID Requirements Are Jim Crow 2.0’ Hypocrisy at Dem Senator’s Event,” Twitchy, February 9, 2026.
- Chris Cadelago, “House passes SAVE America Act, sending Trump-backed election bill to the Senate,” NBC News, February 11, 2026.
- Misty Severi, “NRSC releases new digital ad targeting Jon Ossoff for requiring photo ID to attend rally, not vote,” Just The News, February 12, 2026.
- Hanna Panreck, “Sen. Jon Ossoff requires ID at campaign event while opposing voter ID laws,” Fox News, February 7, 2026.