Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's campaign for the U.S. Senate has spent more than $277,000 on private security services, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital. The spending has given Republicans a fresh line of attack, as they accuse the Democratic Senate hopeful of backing policies that they argue make North Carolinians feel less safe.
The campaign funds were directed to two vendors: Foresight Solutions and Frontpoint. Foresight Solutions offers customized security assessments, workplace safety training, de-escalation techniques, conflict resolution, and workplace violence prevention. Frontpoint markets home-security systems designed to protect homes and families. The payments, totaling $277,312 so far in the 2026 election cycle, have drawn sharp criticism from Republican strategists and the campaign of Cooper's likely general election opponent, Michael Whatley.
Republican strategist Mark Bednar, a former communications director for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, called the spending a case of «blatant hypocrisy.» In a statement to Fox News Digital, Bednar argued that the issue is not whether Cooper deems it necessary to keep himself safe, but that he and other Democrats prioritize their own security while trying to hide from voters their «soft-on-crime records» that threaten local communities.
Bednar pointed to Cooper's record as governor, including the early release of thousands of inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom, he said, went on to commit more crimes. He also criticized Cooper for opposing cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. «In an election year that's going to come down to the wire, blatant hypocrisy like this is going to stick out to voters,» Bednar added.
Republicans have also invoked the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train, arguing that Cooper's criminal justice posture — including a racial equity task force that backed changes to cash bail — reflects a broader soft-on-crime record. Whatley has directly linked Cooper to the transit killing, accusing the former governor of freeing «rapists and murderers.»
Cooper's campaign spokesperson pushed back on the criticism, defending the former governor's public safety record and accusing Whatley of hypocrisy. The spokesperson noted that Cooper spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars and signed tough-on-crime legislation as governor, including stricter bail and pretrial release laws. In contrast, the spokesperson pointed to Whatley's appointment of Harvey Lee West, a convicted child sex predator, to a powerful position within the North Carolina Republican Party. West pleaded guilty in 2000 to five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and later served on the North Carolina GOP's Plan of Organization Committee, which helps set party rules.
The Cooper campaign also suggested that Republicans have distorted his record on COVID-era inmate releases, noting that the North Carolina GOP under Whatley had previously criticized Cooper for not doing more to address COVID-19 inside prisons. Cooper's campaign highlighted his 16 years as North Carolina attorney general and legislation he signed as governor that made it easier to go after drug dealers, gave judges discretion to keep violent offenders behind bars ahead of trial, and provided raises to law enforcement.
A Whatley spokesperson, DJ Griffin, responded sharply to Cooper's claims, arguing that the former governor has a long record of mismanaging significant challenges. «Roy Cooper has blood on his hands. He chose to release thousands of convicted criminals back onto North Carolina's streets instead of fighting in court like Democrat governors in Colorado and Illinois,» Griffin told Fox News Digital. «The consequences have been devastating.»
The security spending and the ensuing political battle underscore the high stakes of the North Carolina Senate race, which is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. Both candidates are positioning themselves as tough on crime, while accusing each other of hypocrisy and dangerous policies. With the election still months away, the debate over public safety is likely to remain a central issue.
