By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — As the race to become the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina enters the final sprint, Republican Michael Whatley pledged Friday to lower costs and support law enforcement, while Democrat Roy Cooper argued Trump administration policies have made everyday life more expensive for working families.
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Flanked by law enforcement and Republican elected officials at a campaign stop in Garner, Whatley touted support from the North Carolina Troopers Association, North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police and North Carolina Police Benevolent Association.
Whatley called public safety the government’s most important responsibility and promised to support law enforcement if elected.
“I am going to be there to back the blue,” Whatley said. “I’m going to support our troopers. I’m going to support our law enforcement communities all across the state.”
Whatley also escalated his central attack against Cooper, blaming the former governor for a COVID-era legal settlement that accelerated the transition of at least 3,500 people out of prisons over six months.
The 2021 agreement stems from a lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations that argued conditions inside state prisons during the pandemic were unconstitutional. A Wake County judge granted a preliminary injunction in June 2020, finding prison conditions were likely unconstitutional and ordering state officials to take steps to address overcrowding and protect medically vulnerable prisoners. The state continued fighting the case before reaching a settlement in February 2021.
Whatley has repeatedly characterized the agreement as Cooper’s voluntary release of more than 4,200 violent criminals. He has blamed Cooper for crimes committed by people included on the settlement list after leaving prison.
But in 2020, while serving as chairman of the North Carolina GOP, Whatley criticized Cooper for not doing enough to protect prisoners and corrections officers from COVID-19. Asked Friday what he would have done differently, Whatley said he would have continued fighting the lawsuit.
“The ACLU and the NAACP filed suit all across the country, and Roy Cooper was the only one who settled by releasing 4,200 criminals,” Whatley said. “Roy Cooper is the one who signed off on that litigation. He did not have to do that. I would have fought every single day to make sure that we are not going to be releasing the criminals across the state.”
Cooper’s campaign called Whatley’s characterization false and misleading.
“These blatant lies from Republicans have been fact-checked for months and found to be false,” Cooper’s campaign spokesperson said in a statement to CBS 17. “After Roy fought against these releases in court, North Carolina law enforcement officials and parole officers looked to similar criteria President Trump used a year prior, when his administration released thousands of federal prisoners due to COVID-19.”
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The campaign also accused Whatley of appointing convicted sex offender Harvey West to leadership positions within the North Carolina GOP. Whatley rejected that allegation Friday.
“I did not hire the guy. Absolutely not,” he said. “That guy was a volunteer with the Republican Party before I became the chair, and he also opposed me when I was running for the state party chair.”
While Whatley centered his campaign stop on crime and public safety, Cooper brought his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour to Henderson in Vance County, where affordability was framed as the top issue for voters.
The former governor said families are being squeezed by the rising cost of housing, healthcare and everyday essentials. Cooper blamed the Trump administration for failing to live up to its campaign promises.
“This administration promised people that the cost of living would be the focus on day one,” he said. “Not only has that not happened, but it has also been made so much worse. We need leaders who understand the problem.”
Whatley also addressed affordability in Garner, promising more jobs, higher take-home pay and lower taxes if elected.
“We’re going to have lower interest rates. We’re going to have lower inflation. We’re going to have lower costs, and we’re going to have lower taxes,” he said.
The competing campaign stops come after a pair of new polls showed Whatley trailing Cooper by double digits.
An Elon University Poll released Wednesday found Cooper leading Whatley 53% to 42% among likely voters. One day later, a Carolina Journal Poll found Cooper leading 51.5% to 39% among likely voters.
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