Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley told Newsmax on Wednesday that his decisive victory in North Carolina’s Republican U.S. Senate primary has united the party ahead of a general election showdown with Democrat Roy Cooper.
“What we’re seeing right now is a very united Republican Party,” Whatley told “Finnerty.” “We are ready to take the fight to Roy Cooper.”
Whatley defeated GOP primary opponent Don Brown by roughly 49 percentage points Tuesday, a margin he said reflects strong Republican support heading into November.
“We’re pretty happy about that. We’ve got a very united Republican Party, and we are ready to take the fight to Roy Cooper, the most pro-crime governor in the history of North Carolina,” Whatley said. “And we’re going to win.
“And we’re going to make sure we keep our kids and our community safe.”
The race is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the cycle, with Cooper, the state’s former governor, seeking to flip the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Whatley argued that public safety will be a central issue in the campaign, criticizing Cooper’s decision during the COVID-19 pandemic to release thousands of prisoners early.
“It is truly stunning when you think about the highest, most important function of any government — whether it’s a state, local or the federal government — is keeping its kids and communities safe,” Whatley said.
“Roy Cooper has absolutely failed on that agenda. As the governor of North Carolina, he released over 3,500 prisoners early because he didn’t want them to get COVID in 2021,” he continued.
“Among those were 51 who were serving life sentences. And on that list was Decarlos Brown Jr.”
Brown is suspected in the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, on a Charlotte light rail train, a case that drew national attention.
President Donald Trump invited Zarutska’s parents to the State of the Union address.
Whatley said Cooper must answer questions about the release decisions.
“He has a lot to answer for, including why were those people released, why were those people put on that particular list to be released, and why did he hide the fact that those people were put on that list for all these years,” he said.
Whatley also criticized Cooper’s immigration stance, noting the governor vetoed legislation requiring sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“The people in North Carolina want to see violent, criminal, illegal aliens taken out of North Carolina,” Whatley said.
“And it is a shame that Roy Cooper vetoed three different bills that would have forced sheriffs to work with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement].”
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