Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has raised well over double the amount of former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race, putting him at a major advantage.
In the first 65 days of the campaign, Cooper raised $14.5 million, dwarfing Whatley’s $5.8 million, Politico reported. Cooper’s total set a North Carolina record, representing the most raised in the first fundraising quarter.
Of that $14.5 million, $3.4 million was made within the first 24 hours of Cooper launching his Senate campaign in late July.
Despite making a fraction of Cooper’s total, Whatley set the record for most money raised by a Republican campaign in this cycle. The imbalance reflects Democratic bullishness about reclaiming the Senate in 2026 as the party hopes to break the Republican trifecta.
Democrats have poured a massive amount into 2026 Senate campaigns. Last week, Texas state Rep. James Talarico broke a state record when he raised over $6 million for his 2026 Senate campaign. In the last cycle, then-Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred took two months to reach $6 million, while fundraising juggernaut Beto O’Rourke took nine months to reach the total in 2018.
Despite his fundraising advantage, Cooper will have to overcome blistering attacks on his record from his Republican opponents, particularly over crime. The brutal stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail directed attention to his crime policies, as many Republicans squarely blamed Cooper.
Whatley said Cooper bears “direct responsibility” for Zarutska’s murder due to criminal justice reform bills he signed into law during his tenure as governor from 2017 to 2025, mostly after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In 2021, he signed several bills, including one that implemented recommendations made by the Cooper-created task force on racial equity in criminal justice.
TRUMP PINS BLAME FOR MURDER OF IRYNA ZARUTSKA ON SOFT CRIME POLICIES
“In 2020, my Democrat opponent, Roy Cooper, tasked a group of extreme leftists with advising him on implementing his executive order, which introduced weak-on-crime policies to North Carolina’s justice system regarding ‘pretrial release, fees, and fines,’” Whatley said. “He told the task force, ‘I look forward to implementing your strong recommendations.’ These policy changes empowered dangerous criminals, such as Decarlos Brown Jr., the murderer of Iryna Zarutska.”
Cooper defended against the accusations, saying, “Only a cynical DC insider would think it’s acceptable to use her death for political points.” The majority of viewers responded negatively to the deflection.
, 2025-10-06 12:35:00, 
, Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Brady Knox
