Vice President JD Vance implored North Carolina voters to back Senate Republican candidate Michael Whatley in his competitive battle against former Gov. Roy Cooper, as some Republicans warn the historically toss-up state could be getting away from the GOP.
The vice president praised Whatley as “the best RNC chair that we have ever had” during a Monday visit to Greensboro, North Carolina, while blasting Cooper as “the loyal servant of the hard Left” on key issues such as crime, voter ID, and gender ideology.
Polling, however, has consistently shown Cooper, a Democrat who has never lost statewide office, leading Whatley in polling and in fundraising strength.
Despite Vance’s encouragement, at least one Republican group canceled ad reservations for Whatley, suggesting the GOP is moving resources to more winnable races.
Semafor reported that the GOP-aligned Old North Action canceled $6.5 million in ad reservations on the same day as Vance’s visit. Old North Action still has more than $14.5 million in airtime reserved in North Carolina, but the cancellation is the first notable move as whispers about Republicans’ chances in the state grow louder.
The Senate Leadership Fund still has $23.2 million reserved in the Tar Heel State, although it removed $900,000 in broadcast buys and added $400,000 in digital ads.
Vance’s visit to the state comes less than one week after President Donald Trump also stumped for Whatley in Gastonia, North Carolina. Like Trump, Vance repeatedly slammed Cooper over his crime record.
“In 2021, Roy Cooper released thousands of inmates from jail, half of whom went on to commit another crime in this great state,” Vance said.
Cooper’s release of inmates was part of a COVID-19-era civil rights lawsuit settlement. A North Carolina Superior Court judge ordered the civil rights groups that filed a lawsuit against Cooper and his administration to reach a 2020 settlement, which enabled the early release of 3,500 inmates in 2021.
The attacks on Cooper’s crime record have seemingly not made a dent in the race. A Carolina Journal poll released last week showed Cooper with a 15.1 point lead over Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman, among likely voters, 49.2%-34.1%
Voters have consistently stated that the economy, inflation, and cost of living are the top key issues for them this cycle. Vance alluded to this voter dissatisfaction with the Trump administration as he appealed to independents to consider backing the GOP once again.
“There are a lot of people in the state of North Carolina who haven’t made up their minds yet,” he said. “There are some out there who voted for us before, even, but don’t necessarily agree with everything that’s happened over the last 20 months.”
Democrats have campaigned heavily on affordability and blaming Trump for the Iran war and subsequent high gas prices, but Vance warned voters that Democrats, not Republicans, were at fault for rising prices.
“If you’re unhappy with the pace of progress, don’t hand power back to Democrats who drove our country to the ground in the first place,” Vance said.
REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO BURY ROY COOPER ON CRIME. WILL IT WORK?
Despite the polling lead Cooper has over Whatley, Vance painted the election as a battle between common sense and political extremism. Democrats appear likely to flip the House, and Republicans are increasingly worried the Senate may also be in play for Democrats.
“This November is not like the elections that most of us grew up with. You know where the debates were about taxation or how much we should regulate this or that,” Vance said. “This midterm election is between people who believe this country should have a future and those who would rather see it destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up. We don’t have time for politicians who want to play both sides, who promise you that they’re moderates while giving the crazies everything they want. My friends, this November is make or break.”