Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's Senate campaign has spent $277,312.28 on security-related payments during the 2026 election cycle.
The money went to two vendors: Foresight Solutions, which describes its services as including customized security assessments, workplace safety training, de-escalation techniques and workplace violence prevention; and Frontpoint, which markets home-security systems for families.
The spending has provided Republicans with a new line of attack against Cooper, who is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in North Carolina. GOP operatives have pointed to the expenditure alongside Cooper's record on policing, criminal justice reform, Immigration and Customs Enforcement cooperation, and COVID-19-era inmate releases during his time as governor.
The Republican criticism intensified after the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train. Republicans argue that Cooper's criminal justice posture, including support for a racial equity task force that backed changes to cash bail, reflects a broader soft-on-crime record.
What the Left Is Saying
A Cooper campaign spokesperson defended the former governor's public-safety record and pushed back against Republican attacks.
"While Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars and signing tough on crime, stricter bail and pretrial release laws as governor, Michael Whatley spent his (career) appointing a convicted child sex predator who served time in prison to a powerful position within the North Carolina Republican Party and pushing to release prisoners during the pandemic," the spokesperson said.
The reference was to Whatley's appointment of Harvey Lee West, who pleaded guilty in 2000 to five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and later served on the NC GOP's Plan of Organization Committee. PolitiFact has documented this history.
The Cooper campaign also noted that Republicans have been distorting his record on COVID-era inmate releases, pointing out that the North Carolina GOP under Whatley's leadership previously criticized Cooper for not doing enough to address COVID-19 inside prisons.
Cooper's campaign highlighted his 16 years as North Carolina attorney general, where he served as the state's top law enforcement official. They cited legislation he signed that made it easier to pursue drug dealers, gave judges discretion to keep violent offenders detained ahead of trial, and provided raises for law enforcement officers.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican strategist Mark Bednar, who served as communications director for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, called Cooper's spending an example of "blatant hypocrisy."
"The issue on voters' minds isn't whether Roy Cooper or any other Democrat deems it necessary to keep themselves safe, but the issue is when he and other Democrats prioritize their own security while trying to hide from voters their soft-on-crime records that threaten local communities," Bednar said.
Bednar added: "As Governor, Roy Cooper agreed to release thousands of criminals early, many of whom went on to commit more crimes, and he fought tooth and nail to prevent local law enforcement working with immigration enforcement officials."
A Whatley campaign spokesperson, DJ Griffin, responded directly to the Cooper campaign's attacks.
"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 said. "The consequences have been devastating."
What the Numbers Show
FEC records show Cooper's campaign spent $277,312.28 on security-related payments during the 2026 election cycle.
This includes payments to two vendors: Foresight Solutions and Frontpoint Security Services.
Cooper served as North Carolina governor for eight years, from 2017 to 2025, following 16 years as the state's attorney general.
Whatley currently serves as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. He previously served in the Trump administration at the Department of Homeland Security.
The Bottom Line
The security spending has become a focal point in what is expected to be a competitive Senate race in North Carolina, a state that remains closely divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Both campaigns are seeking to frame their opponent as weak on crime while defending their own records. Cooper points to Whatley's past appointment of West as evidence of Republican hypocrisy on public safety issues.
Republicans maintain that Cooper's COVID-era inmate releases and criminal justice reforms represent a broader pattern of prioritizing criminals over public safety, and they argue voters will focus on this contrast heading into November.
Voters in North Carolina will decide the Senate race in November 2026.