Cooper outraises Whatley in Q1, $13.8M to $5M

In North Carolina’s most high-profile race, former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has outraised his opponent, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the NCGOP Michael Whatley, by more than double, according to first-quarter campaign finance reports.

Cooper raised more than $13.8 million in the first quarter, with more than 95% of donations of $100 or less coming from supporters in all 100 counties, according to the campaign. Cooper’s first-quarter fundraising numbers are just shy of Whatley’s total cash-in-hand of $16 million, with Whatley pulling in $5 million in the first quarter, the campaign reported. 

“Roy Cooper is running because stuff just costs too much, and Big Oil lobbyists and DC insiders like Michael Whatley are the problem,” Jeff Allen, Cooper for North Carolina campaign manager, said in a press release. “North Carolinians know Roy will put them — not special interests or the well-connected — first in the U.S. Senate. This fundraising reflects the campaign’s growing momentum and as the most competitive race in the country, our team will work to earn every vote and make sure North Carolina has a senator who will fight for them.”

“For decades, North Carolina Democrats have been setting fundraising records just to lose in the general election,” DJ Griffin, spokesman for Whatley’s campaign, told the Carolina Journal. “It turns out that all the money in the world cannot overcome a record of failure. Roy Cooper is no different. Cooper is a career politician relying on elites from New York and California to bankroll his campaign, so he can do their bidding. We look forward to history repeating itself this November.” 

Cooper leads Whatley not only in fundraising but also in polling. According to the latest Carolina Journal Poll, a survey of 600 likely North Carolina voters, 48.9% said they would vote for Cooper if the election were held today (at the time of the survey), whereas only 41.1% said they would vote for Whatley. This puts Cooper almost 8 points up. Among registered independents, Whatley falls further behind with 32% support versus Cooper’s 52% support.

“Public opinion polls are snapshots in time, not crystal balls,” Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “They can be useful for showing where voters stand at a given moment and for tracking trends over time, but a poll taken in March 2026 should not be treated as a prediction of what will happen in November 2026. Campaigns change, events intervene, and voters continue to make up their minds.”

“Cooper outraises Whatley in Q1, $13.8M to $5M” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.