North Carolina voters are once again questioning the political ads flooding their screens ahead of November’s closely watched U.S. Senate election. This time, the criticism is aimed at a pro-Michael Whatley super PAC after claims made in an attack ad targeting Democratic candidate Roy Cooper were challenged over their accuracy, leaving some residents frustrated by what they’re being told as the race heats up.
According to Carolina Forward, the controversy centers on a new ad from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a Republican super PAC supporting Whatley, which claims that former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper “let Jimmie Speight out” of prison before Speight went on to commit further violent crimes. However, records cited by the outlet show that Speight completed his prison sentence and entered post-release supervision in November 2020, several months before the February 2021 COVID-era settlement that resulted in thousands of people leaving state custody.
It isn’t the first time the group’s advertising has faced scrutiny over similar claims. Earlier this month, PolitiFact examined two other SLF ads linking homicide cases to Cooper’s 2021 prisoner-release settlement and found no evidence that the perpetrators featured in either case were released as a result of the agreement. One victim’s father also told the outlet that he felt his words had been twisted by the ad, while SLF has stood by its broader criticism of Cooper’s record on crime.
For North Carolina voters, the dispute matters because these ads are reaching them during the final stretch of a closely watched Senate race, with outside groups spending millions of dollars trying to shape how they view both candidates. SLF alone has announced plans to invest $71 million in support of Whatley, making the accuracy of the claims appearing on television and online particularly important as residents decide who they want representing them in Washington.
North Carolina Residents Question the Attack Ad
For some North Carolina residents, questions about the ad began as soon as it started appearing on their screens. One Reddit user explained, “Sharing this because the ad started playing this week and didn’t sound right to me.” Others were considerably more critical, with another declaring, “Honestly the SLF PAC should be ashamed of themselves. They are running an EVIL campaign of lies.”
The discussion soon broadened into concerns about accountability in political advertising, as one person argued, “Until there are financial and/or criminal penalties for telling lies, politicians will continue to do so.” Another commenter pointed specifically to younger voters, noting that many have yet to form firm political allegiances and “will become active voters one day.”
For North Carolinians, the controversy is ultimately about the information reaching them as they prepare to choose their next U.S. senator. With political ads already filling television screens across the state, residents are being asked to sort through competing claims about both candidates for themselves. Judging by the local response to this latest ad, some voters are paying close attention to whether those claims actually stand up to scrutiny.
