Republican nominee Michael Whatley and GOP allies are intensifying attacks on former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper over his role in releasing violent felons — including the man charged with killing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee.
Cooper, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), released a new campaign ad attempting to extinguish the attacks by touting actions his administration took to “put criminals in prison and kept them there.”
But the GOP isn’t backing down.
“Roy Cooper’s Felon Friday” — the Senate Leadership Fund’s weekly email series highlighting convicted felons Cooper released early.
The Senate Leadership Fund, the premier GOP political action committee, has been running an email series called “Roy Cooper’s Felon Friday,” where the PAC highlights convicted felons who were released early under Cooper’s watch.
Republicans have particularly hammered Cooper over the killing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who moved to Charlotte in 2022 after Russia invaded her home country. Zarutska’s alleged killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., was released early from prison by then-Gov. Cooper.
Republicans argue Brown was released early due to a 2021 court settlement reached by Cooper during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 settlement released roughly 3,500 inmates, and Cooper reportedly included prisoners released shortly before the lawsuit was settled — including Brown.
GOP lawmakers launched an investigation this year into the circumstances surrounding the agreement, contending that voters deserve answers about how the releases were handled.
Cooper has rejected responsibility for the releases, saying Whatley is trying to score political points by citing Zarutska’s death to damage his Senate campaign. President Donald Trump, who backed Whatley, has also cited Zarutska’s death as one of Cooper’s flaws.
Cooper’s campaign has responded by emphasizing his support for tougher pretrial detention standards and other public safety measures enacted during his administration.
Polling from the Carolina Journal suggests that Cooper has held a consistent lead over Whatley, but the two still have a bitter fight ahead of the November general election.
