Roy Cooper news
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The gist
Two attack ads in North Carolina's Senate race tie Roy Cooper to families' gun-violence losses.
The ads' claims hinge on cases outside his authority, making the race's tone the.
Background
Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, is facing Republican Michael Whatley in a closely watched race. The Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Whatley, is funding ads featuring grieving fathers that criticize Cooper's handling of a COVID-era prison release program. Coverage has questioned the ads' links: one featured death occurred in South Carolina, where Cooper had no authority, and one father said he still plans to vote for Cooper.
How it unfolded
- Sep 4, 2026Queen City News publishes a report examining whether Roy Cooper had any connection to Logan Federico's death in South Carolina, amid ads funded by the Senate Leadership Fund.
- Sep 7, 2026The New York Times publishes an opinion piece describing Cooper as a strong candidate whose aides worry the race looks too easy, and noting many in the state assume he will win.
- Sep 9, 2026WFAE takes a closer look at the attack ads; one featured father says he is a Democrat who plans to vote for Cooper and would not have agreed to the interview had he known how his words would be used. Michael Whatley speaks at the GOP convention in Dallas, calling Cooper a 'radical' and criticizing his health care record.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Whatley said at the GOP convention that Cooper was 'the worst governor in the history of North Carolina' and that 'under Roy Cooper's reign, North Carolina became the most expensive state in the nation for healthcare costs.'
- Analysts
- New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni describes Cooper as a 'fascinating contradiction' whose strength is also his weakness, and says just about everyone he talks to in the state assumes Cooper will win.
- Public
- One featured father in the attack ads said he is a Democrat, plans to vote for Roy Cooper, and would not have agreed to the interview had he known how his words would be used.
Still unverified
The ads' specific claims about Cooper's role in the COVID-era prison release program and any connection to the featured deaths are disputed; coverage notes one death occurred in South Carolina, where Cooper had no authority, and the other accused killer was a juvenile when the North Carolina prison settlement was signed.