Roy Cooper breaks fundraising records as he kicks off expensive North Carolina campaign
Tillis denounced Trump's megabill before its passage, attacking Republicans for 'betray[ing] the promise Donald Trump made' to voters and warning that 660,000 North Carolinians could lose their healthcare. Tillis voted against it, prompting Trump to threaten Tillis with a primary challenge. The next day, Tillis announced he wouldn't run for reelection .
That's an opening Democrats are looking to exploit. Cooper, along with the Republican-controlled legislature, expanded Medicaid in 2023 . In an MSNBC interview Monday night , Cooper said it was 'such a contrast in this race,' emphasizing that 'Washington Republicans are going to strip it away.'
'Cooper staked his career on expanding Medicaid and 650,000 North Carolinians have it now because of him. He can work across the aisle to find solutions,' said Morgan Jackson, Cooper's top political strategist. 'I'm not sure Michael Whatley has met a swing voter, much less had a conversation with one.'
Whatley, who hasn't formally launched his campaign, has his own hurdles. He's a first-time candidate who has never run for office, so he'll need a lot of money to build up his name recognition. Whatley, who served as the RNC chair and led the North Carolina GOP state party, comes with the full backing of Trump's political machine, after Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump ultimately passed on the seat.
Trump's seal of approval and the RNC donor network 'may give Whatley enough money to turn Cooper into a generic Democrat,' said a second North Carolina Republican operative, granted anonymity to discuss the race candidly. 'But nobody knows who Whatley is either.'
'It's all going to come down to the money, and who can define who first,' the operative added.
Calen Razor contributed to this report.
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