Local Democrat Party Grievance Alleges Disturbing Behavior At Roy Cooper Fundraisers
The Blue Ridge Times has obtained a grievance sent to the North Carolina Democrat Party Council of Review from the New Hanover County Democrat Party Executive Board & Conduct Committee from last March, which details a disturbing pattern of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior occurring at Roy Cooper for Senate fundraisers and other highly attended Democrat events. Wilmington-area outlets, including WECT, have also covered this story.
The complaint chronicles a series of disturbing actions allegedly taken by Mr. David Andrews, a Precinct Chair of W31 and the spouse of City Councilwoman and former Commission candidate Salette Andrews. Mr. Andrew’s wife, councilmember Salette Andrews, is a longtime Roy Cooper supporter and gave $1,200 to Cooper in 2025. Notably, several of the disturbing instances allegedly occurred at different Cooper for Senate events. Mr. Andrews has denied the allegations in the complaint, and a law firm has sent demand letters to victims in the report.
The complaint says, “After investigating this report and after finding additional victims, we are filing the below grievance with the North Carolina Democratic party’s Council of Review… and we respectfully request that appropriate action is taken in response, including his removal as precinct chair and any other necessary recourse.”
The complaint continues, “To be clear, we sincerely wish that we did not have to file this grievance. We do not want to create division within our own local party, nor do we want to damage any elected official or sitting Democrat. Some allegations, however, are too serious to ignore, and we believe we have a duty to report a clear pattern of public intoxication, sexual harassment, and unwanted touching that has placed the NHCDP and our members at risk.”
Here are some of the concerning incidents recounted in the report:
At a September 2025 Cooper for Senate fundraiser, Mr. Andrews is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate and confrontational behavior, loudly berating fellow Democrats.
After this incident, Mr. Andrews attended a December 2025 fundraiser for Roy Cooper for Senate Fundraiser. At this fundraiser, the complaint says that “Mr. Andrew intimidated and berated Chair Jill Hopman… in a crowded room.” It then goes on to say that Hopman was worried that Mr. Andrews would assault her.
The complaint recounts a sexual harassment complaint from a local Democrat party official at a major Democrat fundraiser on Figure Eight Island. The victim says that Mr. Andrews was inebriated and that he “slapped her ass.” The complaint says that NCDP leadership encouraged the local party to file a complaint and offered to confront Mr. Andrews. The grievance says that when confronted about this incident, Mr. Andrews denied the incident and claimed, “This was a defamatory attack on him to damage his wife’s candidacy.”
This complaint alleges that the pattern of behavior occurred during the 2024 election cycle. Anonymous victim says Mr. Andrews would make “weird” comments, “while touching her arm, and stroking her hair, or hugging her.”
In January 2025, at a baby shower for a liberal activist, the complaint alleges that a woman reported that Mr. Andrews was “very snuggly and hugging her and growling, in a guttural and sexual way.” Eventually, she “promptly pulled away and said, ‘No, I’m sorry. I have known this person for decades, but ‘that is not the relationship you and I have.’”
The complaint continues to say that the local county party investigates the matter internally before reporting it to the State Party. Notably absent is any mention of the Cooper for Senate campaign, which invited Mr. Andrews to events despite the locals' concern about his behavior.
“This is yet another series of disturbing allegations from Roy Cooper’s Democrat Party,” said Clara Tanner, former Vice President of the UNCW College Republicans. “What is becoming increasingly clear, especially in light of the Eric Swalwell debacle, is that Roy Cooper and establishment Democrats only take action on these issues due to political pressure. Despite the history of misconduct and misbehavior at events, Cooper was happy to take their money.”
Cooper’s pattern of behavior
This is not the first North Carolina Democrat mired in allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior associated with Cooper.
Roy Cooper campaigned for former State House Representative Duane Hall from Wake County, who would then become one of his key allies in the legislature. In 2018, Hall faced accusations of inappropriate behavior from Democrat Party operatives. After enormous media pressure, Governor Cooper called on Hall to resign.
In 2020, after news broke that Cal Cunningham, who was an officer in the Army Reserves, admitted to an affair with an enlisted man’s wife. Cooper was caught on a hot mic referring to the scandal as “frustrating,” but committed to President Biden that they would “get him across the line.”
In 2018, Cooper hosted the “Brockman Birthday Bash” for former Rep. Cecil Brockman, in his effort to help break the Republican supermajority. In 2025, Cecil Brockman was charged with child sex crimes.
Also in 2018, Cooper attended a gala with a convicted sex offender.
Like the rest of Chuck Schumer’s recruits, Cooper received support from Eric Swalwell’s PAC. But only after Republicans began to criticize Cooper for his connection to Swalwell, after media reports of Swalwell’s sexual misconduct, did Cooper donate the funds.
Additionally, fellow Democrats have raised concerns about inappropriate behavior with the North Carolina Democrat Party leadership in recent years. In 2025, the Huffington Post reported that “North Carolina Democrats Silenced Employee who made sexual harassment complaint.” And within the last month, several Democrat state senators raised concerns about Jonah Garson, who was later appointed to fill a vacancy in the North Carolina General Assembly. According to the liberal-leaning Indy Weekly, the Democrats expressed concerns over an incident where he was “kicked out” of a bar in Chapel Hill, and an anonymous email send to Democrat Party leadership alleging that Garson used cocaine to Democratic Party leadership alleging that Garson used cocaine at Democratic Party events. Garson denied these allegations.
