Former Gov. Roy Cooper brought his “Make Stuff Cost Less Tour” to Asheville on Saturday, Oct. 3, hot on the heels of reports that a national Republican super PAC is pulling ad dollars from North Carolina’s Senate race to triage contests in Kansas.
Cooper, whom some polls have leading Republican candidate Michael Whatley by as much as 15 points, is looking to be the first Democrat elected to the position since North Carolinians voted Kay Hagan into office in 2008.
“We’ve had so many Democratic candidates who have been ahead in October polls who’ve lost in November,” Copper said to reporters after the event. “And I encourage everyone to understand that is the case.”
Cooper touted the grassroots nature of his campaign, mentioning 95% of contributions are $100 or less while jokingly apologizing for the influx of text messaging urging Democrats to donate to his campaign.
With that in mind, Cooper said his first order of business in Washington would be to try and overturn Citizens United.
“The amount of money in these campaigns is unconscionable,” Cooper said. “It leads to corruption. It’s wrong on every level, and we have to fix it.”
Boos rang out from the crowd as Cooper targeted Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair, characterizing him as a Washington insider who lobbied for energy companies. Cooper contended that Whatley’s stock holdings in utility and oil corporations create a conflict of interest that puts corporate profits ahead of voters.
In line with the theme of his “Make Stuff Cost Less Tour” Cooper also said he would focus on lowering the cost of living for North Carolinians by promising to work to roll back tariffs, restore healthcare coverage, support a childcare tax credit, and stop insurers from blocking care that doctors say patients need.
A self-described moderate Democrat, Cooper highlights his track record of working with a Republican-led state legislature to bring Medicaid expansion to North Carolina as a major accomplishment and an example of his willingness to work across the aisle.
The former governor spoke out on stage against President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” warning that its proposed Medicaid eligibility rules would force many residents off their health plans. Independent estimates suggest that as many as 345,000 North Carolinians could lose coverage under the legislation, threatening gains from the state’s late-2023 expansion that brought care to over 600,000 people.
The Smoky Mountain News asked Cooper about what recourse congress has to address the loss of coverage for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians and Cooper said he would work quickly to tackle the issue.
“We need to put legislation on the president’s desk as soon as we get to Washington and restore those cuts,” he said. “When people lose their health insurance, not only does that put them and their family in danger, it increases the cost for everybody else.”