Whatley launches 7-figure ad campaign heading into general election

On July 14, the first part of a seven-figure ad buy dropped from the US Senate campaign for Michael Whatley, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the NCGOP. Whatley is running to fill Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat, following an announcement over a year ago that he would not seek re-election. Whatley’s ad buy is focused on streaming services. 

The first ad, titled “MILES,” highlights Whatley recent journey across all 100 counties in the state. It also focused on the fact that this is Whatley’s first run for office and his backing of the Working Families Tax Cuts No Tax on Social Security provision, according to a press release. 

Whatley made this cross-state trek every year as chair of the NCGOP, he told Donna King, editor-in-chief of the Carolina Journal, on Wednesday, as she filled in for Pete Kaliner on WBT’s News Talk 107.9.

“If you want to represent every family in every community in North Carolina, you’ve got to know… you’ve got to get out there,” Whatley told King. “Roy Cooper is running from the basement right now, and he’s missing out on a lot of the most amazing parts of this state. And everywhere I go, the one refrain that I constantly hear from people is they want a fighter; they want to know that when they send somebody to the Senate that they’re going to fight for the people of North Carolina, fight for their families, fight for their communities. And that’s the message that we are talking about everywhere we go.”

“While Cooper is still favored to win in November, there has been a slight shift in the vibe of the race over the past few weeks,” Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “Polls have shown the race tightening, and Cooper has struggled to get past 50 percent. That is not great for a politician who has won six statewide elections running against a relative unknown who has never held public office. The Whatley campaign hopes the new ads will close the gap further.”

On July 11, Whatley completed his tour of all 100 counties in the state of North Carolina, according to a press release. Whatley committed to hitting all 100 counties when he announced his candidacy for the US Senate. 

“Career Politicians like Roy Cooper get lazy, or old, and don’t have the interest or the strength to hit all 100 counties in North Carolina but every county is important and has needs that can only be appreciated in person in the county,” said Whatley in a press release. “As your Senator, I will fight for every family to make more and keep more, keep our communities safe and preserve the American Dream for generations to come.”

Jackson addressed Cooper’s image on crime and safety, which is playing a role in the tightening polling gap between Cooper and Whatley. 

“Part of the reason for that is Cooper’s apparent vulnerability to charges of being soft on crime, including his 2021 agreement to release 3,500 inmates,” continued Jackson. “Two major law enforcement organizations recently endorsed Whatley. Cooper’s vulnerability on crime has even forced his campaign to run ads of him saying that he does not support defunding the police. I would be surprised if the bulk of the new Whatley ads do not continue to hit Cooper on crime.”

Whatley told King that one of the biggest issues he hears from voters on the road is safety and crime. He commented on the impact of the 3,500 released inmates on society. 

“These are pedophiles and predators and rapists and murderers that he let out of prison because he didn’t want them to get COVID,” Whatley told King. “Of course, as soon as they did, they went right back to the life of crime. And unfortunately, there are 25 North Carolinian families right now that have an empty seat at the table on Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter and every other holiday because criminals that Cooper let out went on to commit murder across North Carolina.”

“Whatley launches 7-figure ad campaign heading into general election” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.