ANALYSIS: Cooper’s First TV Shows That He Cannot Run On His Toxic Record Of Four Decades In Office
Today, the Roy Cooper for Senate Campaign released their first major TV ad of the 2026 midterm campaign. The ad highlights Cooper’s upbringing in a prominent family in Nash County. He boldly proclaimed that Fridays were about football and Sundays were about church. Notably, Cooper seems to be calling back to an earlier time that Democrats now despise.
Voter registration in North Carolina continues to move toward Republicans and away from Democrats. So, Cooper’s team clearly wants to present him as a small-town guy, despite his record. For example, Cooper tried to make it illegal to attend church and football games in 2020, despite his supposed love for these American institutions.
The first TV ad in a campaign is typically meant to introduce or reintroduce a candidate to the electorate. Back in 2020, Democrat nominee Cal Cunningham released a similar ad making a generic promise and highlighting his small-town upbringing. Both Cunningham and Cooper declined to share how they left rural North Carolina for the city and focused on advancing a progressive agenda.
But Cooper’s ad reveals a deep problem for his campaign. Despite decades in office, Cooper’s has no meaningful accomplishments that he can campaign on. He can only run a vibes campaign because he lacks substance.
In 2016, Cooper launched his first TV ad for his first gubernatorial run touting his work as Attorney General. He highlighted his accomplishments, “vigorous pursuit of meth dealer,” “taking on Medicaid fraud,” and fighting “sexual predators.” But with his record and the current leanings of the modern Democrat Party, Cooper cannot run that ad today.
Instead of fighting criminals, Cooper released thousands of criminals early in collusion with his political allies. Nearly half of those inmates were later charged with crimes, including sex crimes against children and murder.
Cooper cannot campaign of taking on “Medicaid fraud” given the amount of fraud exposed in Democrat states like Minnesota and California. State Auditor Dave Boliek is now looking into issues in North Carolina. A huge liability for the Cooper campaign given their reliance on out-of-state donors to fund their campaign.
Cooper talked about fighting against sexual predators, but he happily campaigned with a well know sex offender while in office.
In 2020, Cooper ran an ad highlighting his championing of mask mandates, school closures, and war on small businesses. He talked about rebuilding North Carolina, while failing to mention that he created the need to rebuild.
Despite talking about the value of going to church, a federal judge had to strike down Cooper’s attack on the freedom to worship.
North Carolina public schools still have not recovered from the learning loss suffered during the pandemic. This is one of the reasons enrollment continues to decline, even while funding increases.
Finally, North Carolina courts have consistently ruled that Cooper’s broad executive orders were unconstitutional.
In 2008, the last time Democrats won a Senate race, former Sen. Kay Hagan’s first TV ad highlighted her “record of bringing the kind of change Washington needs.” But Cooper’s record prevents him from running that ad.
Instead of fighting crime and locking up dangerous criminals, he let them out.
Cooper vetoed and campaigned against the Republican General Assembly’s tax reform efforts that made North Carolina the number one state for business.
Cooper is currently campaigning to bring healthcare costs down, but as Governor, he oversaw the highest increase in healthcare costs, while accepting massive donations from the insurance industry. Cooper has been a longtime champion of Obamacare, simply ignoring the negative impact of that law on North Carolinians.
In 2016, Cooper led the charge in the culture war, pushing radical gender ideology, consistently opposing it in an effort to rein in the radical transgender agenda. Now, in an example of Cooper fighting for his convictions, he is completely silent on transgender agenda in his Senate campaign.
On immigration, Cooper opposed efforts to require sheriffs to cooperate with federal law enforcement to remove criminal illegal immigrants from North Carolina. Cooper was the champion of the Biden agenda, including the flood of illegal immigration.
Bottom Line: Cooper’s first ad tries to highlight his rural roots while ignoring his toxic record of decades in public office. It shows that Cooper’s simply cannot run on his accomplishments because he doesn’t have any.
