Politics

Democrats Slash Ad Spending In North Carolina As Roy Cooper Remains Comfortably Ahead Of Michael Whatley

NC Gov. Roy Cooper/Flickr

Democrats cut back on some of their advertisement spending Monday while former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper continued to lead former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the North Carolina Senate race.

WinSenate, a super political action committee (PAC) aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC, removed roughly $1.1 million in North Carolina ad buys while Cooper holds a strong lead against Whatley, according to AdImpact Politics. The top Republican super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, and other Republican PACs paused their spending in North Carolina to pour more money into deep red states and districts.

WinSenate had $18.8 million in future reservations for North Carolina as of Tuesday through Election Day, according to AdImpact.

The Senate Majority PAC did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment on where the money is being reallocated.

Cooper held a nine-point lead as of Tuesday, according to RealClearPolling’s average.

A spokesperson for Whatley’s campaign remained confident the campaign had the resources to defeat Cooper.

“Roy Cooper recently said about federal elections in North Carolina, ‘Democrats are often ahead until they are not,'” spokesperson DJ Griffin told the DCNF in a Friday statement. “Undecided Voters who break late decide the election in North Carolina and the majority of those Late-Breakers typically go Republican. We feel confident we have the resources to highlight Career Politician Roy Cooper’s 40 Years of Failures and win in November.”

The Senate Leadership Fund launched a seven-figure ad campaign in Kansas, a traditionally red state where Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall faces tough competition against Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton. The state has not had a Democratic senator since 1939.

Americans for Prosperity Action, a PAC aligned with the Koch brothers, did not include North Carolina in its $22 million list of future spending across key Republican Senate contests. Old North Action removed $6.5 million in ad reservations in September, Semafor first reported.

Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would not seek reelection in June 2025 after President Donald Trump threatened to back a primary challenger over the senator’s vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill. Trump endorsed Whatley early in the election cycle after he chaired the Republican National Committee alongside his daughter-in-law, former co-chair Lara Trump, during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

No Going Back PAC, a super PAC aligned with Trump, had no planned ads for the week of Oct. 5 in North Carolina and was prepared to spend under $90,000 in Georgia, according to Punchbowl News. The super PAC, along with MAGA Inc. and the Safety and Affordability PAC, spent more than $163 million on advertising and air time since Sept. 1, according to KARK, an NBC News affiliate.

Trump-aligned super PACs spent 40% of their money in states and districts where Trump won by double digits in the 2024 election. In Texas, Republicans expected to spend between $150 million and $200 million to save Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton from losing to Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico, who led Paxton by 2.8 points, according to RealClearPolling.