North Carolina Senate
$74M in outside money, and $45M of it is working for Michael Whatley, who has raised less than a third of what Cooper has.1
Follow the MoneySix groups paid for most of the money in the biggest Senate races.The Matchup
Voters or Donors
Roy CooperDEM
Governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025 and attorney general for 16 years before that.
Michael WhatleyREP
Chaired the Republican National Committee from 2024 to 2025.
- Endorsed by End Citizens United
- Backs a ban on stock trading by members of Congress
- Most of his money comes through a joint fund that is 99% individual donors
- 7% of his money came from PACs, including Koch, Valero and Halliburton
- Took $10K from the PAC of Citizens United, the group behind the ruling
- Lobbied for years for utilities and the oil and gas industry
Outside Money
$74M in Outside Money
Each side counts money spent for its candidate plus money spent against the other one, through Oct 24.1
- For Cooper$5.1M
- Against Whatley$23M
- For Whatley$3.6M
- Against Cooper$42M
Biggest groups for Cooper
- WinSenate, $21.7M, funded by Senate Majority PAC
- Progress North Carolina Action, $1.3M
- Planned Parenthood Votes North Carolina, $1.2M
Biggest groups for Whatley
- Senate Leadership Fund, $30.1M; Elon Musk is its biggest donor
- No Going Back PAC, $10.2M, funded by MAGA Inc.
- Americans for Prosperity Action, $3.7M, funded by Koch Inc. and Stand Together
Our Pick
Roy Cooper
Why Cooper
Cooper got about 2% of his money from PACs, mostly unions and fellow Democrats, and is endorsed by End Citizens United. Whatley got 7% from PACs, including oil companies and Koch.
The Catch
Cooper takes some corporate PAC money, like Duke Energy's and Merck's, and Integrity Index grades him F too. Most of his outside help comes from Senate Democrats' super PAC.
No candidate is perfect. We back the best one, then keep holding them accountable.
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Sources