NC’s Roy Cooper more than doubles Michael Whatley’s fundraising in Senate race
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Roy Cooper raised $14.5M for his Senate bid, more than doubling Michael Whatley.
- Both campaigns cited small-dollar support; Cooper cited donors across all 100 counties.
- Cooper reported $10.8M to campaign and remaining funds to Victory Fund.
Happy Monday! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome, focused on the actions of the Trump administration.
Allow me to a pivot a bit this week to something Trump-adjacent.
On Wednesday, candidates running for federal offices in 2026 needed to turn in their campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission to indicate who is making donations and how that money is being spent.
In North Carolina’s Senate race, former Gov. Roy Cooper’s supporters bolstered his campaign and related committees with $14.5 million while his opponent, former Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, and a committee backing him collected $5.8 million.
Cooper and Whatley launched their Senate campaigns two days apart in late July after Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, announced he would no longer seek reelection.
A refresher on this detail: Tillis planned to run for a third term, launching his reelection campaign in December, but on June 29, he ended it after a spat with President Donald Trump over the One Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on North Carolinians’ health care coverage.
Trump tapped and endorsed Whatley to run in Tillis’ place.
Cooper, who expected to run against Tillis, broke records with his fundraising haul. His campaign, Cooper for North Carolina, took in $10.8 million in donations directly, with the rest going to the Cooper Victory Fund, his joint fundraising committee.
His campaign said in a news release that 90% of donations were $100 or less and came from all 100 counties in the state.
“Roy Cooper will always put North Carolinians first, and this record-breaking fundraising reflects a massive groundswell of support for our campaign,” said Jeff Allen, Cooper for North Carolina campaign manager, in the news release. “This will be the most competitive race in the country, and we’re putting a people-powered organization together to flip this seat and send Roy Cooper to the Senate to lower costs and deliver for North Carolina families.”
Meanwhile, Whatley’s campaign told The Washington Examiner in an exclusive interview that it and his committee collected small dollar donations with the average being around $15.
“I am incredibly grateful for each and every donation to my campaign,” Whatley wrote on social media. “In the Senate, I will be a true America First ally to President Trump and deliver real results for the people of North Carolina.”
Senate Republicans see Tillis’ seat as vital for maintaining control of the chamber. North Carolina is a swing state known for electing Republican presidents at the same time as Democratic governors.
Republicans hold the majority by slim margins in both the House and Senate.
In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats and Democrats hold 47 including those of two independents who caucus with Democrats.
So far eight senators, split evenly between the two parties, have announced they will not seek reelection in 2026.
Other stories we worked on:
- What NC thinks about the National Guard, public safety and crime, Avi Bajpai reports.
- NC attorney general sues Trump administration over canceled rooftop solar grants, Martha Quillin reports.
- NC Republicans unveil new congressional map that could pick up a seat for GOP, Kyle Ingram reports.
- See the new congressional map released by NC GOP, and which counties are affected, Avi Bajpai reports.
- NC Republicans draw Don Davis out of his district in attempt to take 11th seat, I report.
- Raleigh’s No Kings protest this weekend wasn’t downtown. Here’s why, Renee Umsted reports.
- In Durham, Kamala Harris says redistricting war shows the need to ‘play with fire,’ Avi Bajpai reports.
- Sanctuary city debate hits Concord council race — even though NC law bans them, Nora O’Neill reports.
- NC governor can’t veto a redistricting map. Here’s the unlikely person to blame, Kyle Ingram reports.
- Charlotte airport blocks political video criticizing Democrats amid shutdown, Chase Jordan reports.
- How the federal government shutdown could impact NC school meals, SNAP benefits, T. Keung Hui reports.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast.
Also, if the government shutdown is having an impact on your or your family, we want to know about it. Tell us about it at this link.
If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "NC’s Roy Cooper more than doubles Michael Whatley’s fundraising in Senate race."
