Republican super PAC pauses spending in North Carolina’s key US Senate race

Multiple media outlets reported Friday that the Senate Leadership Fund, a leading GOP super PAC, is diverting tens of millions of advertising dollars away from North Carolina’s closely watched U.S. Senate race between Republican Michael Whatley and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The super PAC had pledged just six months ago to invest $71 million in the race to help Whatley secure the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.

In an April press release, the Senate Leadership Fund said that it would reach voters through broadcast, cable, streaming and radio advertising, as well as direct mail and get out the vote activities to win the competitive senate race.

In September, a smaller GOP PAC, Old North Action, also announced it was shifting $6.5 million out of North Carolina’s race.

In recent weeks, polls have shown Whatley trailing Cooper.

A mid-September YouGov poll of more than 3,700 likely voters showed Cooper leading the race over Whatley by 53% to 41% with 5% undecided. A smaller poll by Harper Polling for the conservative Carolina Journal in September gave Cooper a 15-point lead over Whatley with 12% undecided. Most political scientists have said the race will be much tighter than the early polls have forecasted.

Whatley has had President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance campaign for him in recent weeks in hopes of energizing the Republican base.

The New York Times reported that while ad cancellations are not uncommon, it reveals that operatives may believe the best path for Senate Republicans’ holding the majority is in another state. In this case, the super PAC is shifting the money to Kansas, according to reporting by Semafor.

According to the Times’ story, the Senate Leadership Fund has spent $30 million on the N.C. race already and had $18 million ready to deploy in the final weeks of the campaign.

But there’s still plenty of money out there. Republicans have a substantial financial advantage over Democrats this cycle, and Trump also holds a substantial war chest that could aid Whatley down the homestretch.

Requests by NC Newsline for comment from the Senate Leadership Fund, the North Carolina Republican party, and the Whatley campaign received no response on Friday.

Jeff Allen, campaign manager for Cooper, said they remain focused on the issues as the Nov. 3 election approaches.

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“A Democrat has not won statewide federal office here in nearly two decades, and North Carolina is a 50-50 state,” Allen said. “We’re building a campaign to earn every vote and make sure North Carolinians know that Roy Cooper will fight for them, while Michael Whatley will continue to enrich himself at their expense.”

Veteran political strategist Thomas Mills said Friday that now is not the time for Democrats to get overconfident or relax.

“Cooper needs to run like a scalded dog,” writes Mills at PoliticsNC. “The larger his margin, the more down-ballot Democrats he will drag across the line.”