Roy Cooper’s campaign launched a television ad attacking Republican Michael Whatley over inflation claims, using direct quotes from the former Republican National Committee chair to challenge his economic messaging in North Carolina’s closely watched Senate race. The ad, which debuted in early September 2026, features Whatley stating that “grocery prices are down, gasoline prices are down, housing prices are down, inflation is down” — claims the campaign argues are out of touch with voters’ current struggles.
Whatley made those specific statements in a July 2025 NewsMax interview when he served as RNC chair, according to FactCheck.org. At that time, some of his claims had more merit: gasoline prices were nearly flat compared to when President Trump took office, and the annualized inflation rate stood at 2.7%, down from 3.0% inherited from the previous administration.
Conditions have shifted dramatically since July 2025. Grocery prices have risen 3.35% between January 2025 and July 2026, outpacing the 2.58% increase in the year and a half before Trump took office. Gasoline prices have surged nearly $1 per gallon from Trump’s inauguration price, reaching $4.07 in late August — a 31% jump largely driven by the Iran war that began in late February. The Consumer Price Index inflation rate climbed to 3.4% over the 12 months ending in July 2026, up from the 3.0% rate Trump inherited, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Cooper campaign noted that Whatley continued making similar claims into January 2026, telling a Real America’s Voice interviewer that “there is no inflation” — a statement FactCheck.org flagged as less defensible, since the annualized inflation rate at that time was still 2.7%, not zero.
Cooper, the state’s former Democratic governor, has maintained a substantial lead in polling heading into the November general election. An Elon University poll conducted in mid-August showed Cooper at 53% and Whatley at 42%, while a Carolina Journal poll from the same period found Cooper ahead 52% to 39%. Affordability has become the central battleground issue in the race, with both candidates staking their campaigns on competing economic narratives.
Whatley’s campaign spokesman DJ Griffin pushed back against the ad, telling FactCheck.org that “Michael Whatley supports policies that allow working families to earn more and keep more,” and argued that Cooper’s own policies had driven up costs during his governorship. The Republican candidate has focused his attacks on Cooper’s record on energy costs and regulations, claiming electricity rates rose 30% during Cooper’s tenure as governor.
The race reflects broader patterns in the 2026 midterm cycle, where negative campaign advertising dominates. Political ad spending for the entire 2026 midterm election is projected to reach a record $10.8 billion, according to AdImpact, with inflation and cost of living emerging as top voter concerns across competitive Senate races. A campaign advertising battle is drowning in $1 billion dark money ahead of the 2026 midterms, intensifying the volume and reach of such attacks.
Sources
- FactCheck.org — detailed fact-check of Cooper’s ad, Whatley’s statements from July 2025 and January 2026, and current inflation data from Bureau of Labor Statistics and Energy Information Administration
- Carolina Journal — August 2026 poll showing Cooper at 52%, Whatley at 39%
- Elon University — August 2026 poll showing Cooper at 53%, Whatley at 42%
- WRAL — August 2026 reporting on Cooper and Whatley campaign stops on affordability and crime
- The Hill — reporting on Cooper’s polling lead over Whatley in North Carolina Senate race
