Free Republic

RALEIGH — In recent years, health related issues have arisen for national figures like former President Joe Biden, as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the abrupt passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).With that as a backdrop, North State Journal asked former Gov. Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign if he was committed to fulfilling his six-year term if elected in November and if there were any health problems that might impede him. Cooper is 69 years old.North State Journal (NSJ) has previously emailed questions to the campaign eight times this year, and all but two went unanswered. The ninth time,...

In the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes, then-Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration steered some $100 million in disaster funding toward affordable housing projects — despite hundreds of storm victims stuck in temporary homes, according to an analysis. Under Cooper’s watch, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) sent $100 million for affordable housing as the $1 billion agency was suffering from a gaping budget shortfall, an analysis by the John Locke Foundation, a free-market think tank in the state, found. One of the affordable housing projects, Starway Village, was a $9 million 278-unit complex that opened...

🔵 GA: Ossoff +7 (LINK) 🔵 NC: Cooper +6 (LINK) 🔵 OH: Brown +4 (LINK) 🔵 MI: El-Sayed +2 (LINK) 🔵 TX: Talarico +1 (LINK)

With just over a month until early in-person voting begins on Oct. 15, North Carolinians are squarely focused on pocketbook issues. According to a new Elon University poll released Thursday, 86% of registered voters surveyed said inflation and the cost of living are “very important” issues, with 73% describing the general economy and healthcare as most important issues this fall. Husser said that probably won’t help Republicans in competitive races in November. “President Trump largely was re-elected because people thought he was going to handle the economy better than [Kamala] Harris,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll....

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has a double-digit lead over his competitor, former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, in his state’s Senate race, according to a new poll. In the AARP poll, released Monday, 53 percent of respondents said they would “definitely” or “probably” back Cooper or leaned toward doing so in the case the election happened that day, while 42 percent said the same of Whatley. One percent backed “someone else,” and 5 percent were unsure about their candidate of choice. The poll comes amid a problematic electoral environment for Republicans, with slumping approval ratings...

Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, was not happy about one poll showing him trailing by a wide margin. Polls have consistently shown Whatley, the former head of the Republican National Committee, trailing former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) by five points or more. But one survey conducted by the Carolina Journal has Cooper ahead by 15, 49% to 34%. On the campaign trail Friday, Whatley took questions from reporters, one of whom was Andrew Pomeranz of the offending publication. Pomeranz did not get very far with his question. “Andrew Pomeranz, Carolina Journal,” the...

Roy Cooper, the former Democrat governor of North Carolina now running for Senate, added an ex-member of the notorious Bloods gang to a Racial Equity in Criminal Justice task force in 2020. In the wake of George Floyd's 2020 death, Cooper created the task force via executive order, The Washington Free Beacon reported. Cooper, who tapped then-state attorney general turned current Gov. Josh Stein to lead the task force, stocked the panel with a mix of state officials and community activists, including Kerwin Pittman, who was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to commit murder, serving 14 years in prison for...

Democratic Senate contenders are dramatically out-raising their Republican peers, according to Federal Election Commission data — with Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and James Talarico in Texas leading the pack. Eight of the top 10 Senate candidate fundraiser this year are Democrats, whose top contestants have raked in $574 million, compared to the Republicans’ $336 million, per the FEC. Incumbent Sen. Ossoff (D-Ga.) is the biggest fundraiser on both sides, having raked in a jaw-dropping $77 million as of June 30, and has a staggering $42.5 million in cash on hand. He’s raised nearly $98 million as a Senate candidate, including the...

Roy Cooper is in trouble. He was popular and unbeatable, but then a Democratic firm, had him only four points ahead of Republican Michael Whatley. His favorability ratings are nearly underwater. People are learning about his relentless support of illegal aliens who have killed American citizens. Democratic survey takers say there’s a path to victory for Republicans in this race, which was largely seen as a Democratic pickup. Republicans, this race is winnable. Send cash to Whatley now.

Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper holds a commanding double-digit lead in the latest poll of North Carolina's closely watched Senate race, which is seen as one of Democrats' best pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterm elections. The new survey data released Monday by Tipp Insights for the League of American Workers shows Cooper with 48 percent compared to 24 percent who support former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley. An additional 27 percent are undecided.

Democrats have promoted Roy Cooper as a model of controversy-free leadership, but scrutiny of his past is raising new questions about his moral judgment. ... The former North Carolina governor running for Senate had a 'secret' divorce and began dating his second wife while she was still married.. Roy Cooper, 68, is at the top of Democrat politics, and was even tipped to replace Joe Biden as a presidential candidate last year and was on the shortlist to be Kamala Harris's 2024 running mate. But despite his decades-long prominent standing in the party, Cooper has kept his divorce, and the...

The first Emerson College Polling survey of the 2026 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina finds former Governor Roy Cooper starting the race with a six-point edge on Republican National Committee Chair, Michael Whatley, 47% to 41%, with 12% undecided.

Roy Cooper broke fundraising records in his first 24 hours as a Senate candidate — a massive cash boost the former North Carolina governor will need for what’s expected to become one of the most expensive statewide campaigns in U.S. history. National and North Carolina strategists from both parties said the race — likely between Cooper and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement — could be one of the costliest Senate races in the 2026 midterms, topping out at $650 to $800 million, according to private estimates described by both parties. That would crack...

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is planning to launch a run for Senate, according to two sources familiar with his plans, handing Democrats a top candidate in a state that will be central to the fight for the majority. Axios, which broke the news of Cooper's expected bid, reported that he is expected to enter the race next week, according to multiple sources. Morgan Jackson, Cooper’s top political advisor, would not confirm Cooper's plans but said that the former governor would share more about his plans in the coming days. Cooper is also listed as a speaker at the...

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina House voted 72–48 on Tuesday to override Governor Josh Stein’s veto of House Bill 318, officially enacting the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act. The controversial legislation mandates that sheriffs notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within two hours when releasing an inmate subject to an immigration detainer and requires a 48-hour hold for federal pickup. They also considered several other bills. Republicans enacted a total of eight bills that Stein had vetoed. With each of those bills passed, support was secured from at least one Democrat in the House to meet the required...

The North Carolina state legislature overrode the Democrat governor’s veto of HB805, which seeks to “prevent the sexual exploitation of women and minors,” on Tuesday, passing it into law. Both the state House and the state Senate voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of the a Republican sponsored legislation that would officially “recognize two sexes in all administrative rules, regulations, or public policies adopted” by the state, prohibit state funding from going toward trans procedures, and require schools to “adopt policies” enabling parents and students to opt out of curriculum on religious grounds. According to the North Carolina Family...

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) Senate campaign announced it raised more than $3.4 million in the 24 hours since launching Monday. Cooper’s campaign said it raised $2.6 million for his Senate campaign plus an additional $900,000 for the Democratic Party. Ninety-five percent of the individual donations that came into the campaign in the first 24 hours were $100 or less, according to the campaign. The former governor’s campaign called the haul “a testament” to Cooper’s “strong and deep support across North Carolina.” “I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I want to...

Former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is running for the Senate in battleground North Carolina. Cooper announced his candidacy on Monday morning in the open-seat race to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced late last month that he wouldn’t run for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. "I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina," Cooper said in a social media post. Cooper's campaign launch is seen as a major coup for the Democratic Party, as he was the party's top recruit...

*** Here’s an early look at the five Senate seats most likely to flip next year.Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.) is considered the most vulnerable Democrat on the Senate map …. But ... Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) decided against a Senate bid, depriving the GOP of its top choice across the entire 2026 map. *** ... Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) is in, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is out, and operatives believe Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) may follow Carter into the primary. ***NorthCarolina If Democrats are going to make any headway toward winning back the majority, toppling Sen. Thom...

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) commuted death sentences for 15 inmates on his last day in office. On Tuesday Cooper announced that he has commuted the sentences of 15 people on death row in North Carolina to life without the possibility of parole after a thorough review of detailed petitions for clemency. “These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a Governor can make and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose,” said Governor Cooper. “After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should...