Cooper raises $14.8 million in 3 months, new poll shows Whatley gaining ground

Roy Cooper’s U.S. Senate campaign has been raking in an average of more than $1 million a week in recent months according to a campaign announcement Tuesday — declaring a $14.8 million haul in the second quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate’s Republican challenger appears to be closing a wide gap in a recent poll. 

Cooper’s second-quarter fundraising brings his total past the $40 million mark. The Nov. 3 election is just under four months away, although the first ballots could be cast as soon as September with the start of mail-in voting.

Cooper, a former two-term governor, has long been one of the most prolific fundraisers in North Carolina politics, and he has previously far outpaced his Republican challenger for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, Michael Whatley. Whatley is a former energy industry lobbyist and chairman of the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party.

Cooper’s campaign manager, Jeff Allen, said the nearly $15 million in the past three months came nearly all through small-dollar donations, indicating the campaign is connecting with regular people.

“Roy Cooper is running to make stuff cost less, while Big Oil and utility company lobbyist and D.C. insider Michael Whatley is only looking out for himself and his well-connected friends,” Allen said in a written statement.

Whatley hasn’t yet reported his second-quarter campaign finance numbers. A campaign spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The deadline to file the report is Wednesday. As of March 31, which is the end of the first quarter, Cooper had raised more than triple Whatley’s total: $26.8 million for Cooper, compared with $8.4 million for Whatley.

Whatley already spent most of that money, Federal Election Commission data shows, while Cooper has mostly been hanging onto his. The Cooper campaign entered April with $18.5 million in the bank, compared with $2.5 million for Whatley.

Cooper has been running TV ads since last month. Whatley just announced his first ad, running on streaming services only, on Tuesday. Cooper's initial ads focus on his biography — showing the tobacco farm he grew up on in Nash County — and his record on public safety measures while governor and attorney general. Whatley's ad focuses on his support for lower taxes.

Whatley has good reason to spend the money: Cooper is one of the most well known politicians in the state due to his nearly 40 years in public office, including eight years as governor. 

Whatley has been endorsed by Republican President Donald Trump, but is less known to the general electorate in North Carolina, having spent most of his career behind the scenes as a lobbyist and political operative. This is his first campaign for public office. Much of Whatley’s spending has gone toward trying to introduce himself to voters, including a tour of all 100 counties that he said he finished Monday.

“Career politicians like Roy Cooper get lazy, or old, and don’t have the interest or the strength to hit all 100 counties in North Carolina,” Whatley wrote in a statement Monday. “But every county is important and has needs that can only be appreciated in person in the county.”

Whatley’s spending appears to have helped his efforts. While polls earlier this year showed Cooper with a large lead in the race, a new poll released Monday shows Whatley narrowing the gap.

Cooper leads Whatley by 4 percentage points — 48% to 44% — with enough voters still undecided that either candidate could have a realistic shot at victory, according to Public Policy Polling. 

And even while Whaley himself is trailing in fundraising, he has national conservative groups coming to the rescue. The Senate Leadership Fund has pledged to spend more than $70 million boosting Whatley’s campaign. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is also focusing on North Carolina among a small number of other competitive seats this year. And anti-Cooper attacks paid for by those groups and others have already begun going out in ads, email blasts and social media posts.

“Early negative ads in the race have been effective in driving up Cooper’s negatives and keeping the race competitive for the GOP,” Public Policy Polling concluded.

The group added that while Cooper still leads, Democrats shouldn’t consider victory guaranteed in this battleground state, where margins are often razor-thin. 

“Even when Democrats win in North Carolina they rarely win big,” PPP wrote. “It would be a mistake to count Republicans out.”