More from the cited article (looks more like an OpEd to me, but that aside...)

... Far less attention has been paid to Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor and current Democratic nominee for Senate. Even as poll after poll shows Cooper leading Trump-backed Republican Michael Whatley, making North Carolina increasingly look like it could be the Democratic party's best pickup opportunity this year, his campaign seems to be flying under the national radar. There's a case to be made that he likes it that way.

Part of the reason for the Cooper campaign's low profile is obvious: He's neither a showman nor a social media star. ...

He talks about high utility costs, rising grocery prices, his record as governor addressing crime, and the federal government's failure to take care of Hurricane Helene victims. And he hasn't leaned into Resistance-style rhetoric. Cooper refers to Donald Trump as "this president" or "this administration," but rarely by name.

Can such a simple -- if not downright old-fashioned -- approach to politics really be what flips a North Carolina Senate seat blue for the first time since 2008, particularly in an election cycle largely defined by voter frustration with the status quo? ...

... His message is simple, his persona is unglamorous, and his old-school North Carolina Senate bid is working. ...

As opposed to the approach ...