Roy Cooper opens fire on DON BROWN
Gosh. US Senate candidate Don Brown is getting more attention from the likely Democrat nominee for US Senate than he is from his Republican primary opponent — Donald Trump’s first second third fourth (?), fifth (?), SIXTH(?) choice — Michael Whatley.
The NCGOP’s 2024 gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson tried this whole pretend-you-have-no-primary-or-primary-opponents thing. *Considering how, um, *well* that worked for Robinson, why shouldn’t Michael “Taters” Whatley give it a whirl?*
The drive-by media outside the Raleigh beltline has apparently *discovered* that Whatley does indeed have a primary opponent. They’ve been interviewing and covering Don Brown pretty extensively over the last few weeks.
The other night, Charlotte’s WSOC interviewed Brown on-air. The station sought a response to Brown’s interview from the Cooper campaign, and this is what they got:
I’m not sure what Governor Gomer is talking about here. But – like the outside the beltline drive-bys – even he and his campaign team recognize Mike Whatley has a primary opponent.
Harper Polling produced recent surveys showing Whatley and Brown performing (losing) about the same to Roy Cooper in a general election. (Kinda blows a hole in the spin about Whatley being inevitable and invincible and the best choice for the party, now doesn’t it?)
A poll of a primary matchup between Whatley and Brown has not been publicly released.
I’m seeing at least two possibilities at play here:
(1) Cooper’s team is seeing data / info suggesting Don Brown is more competitive than the Republican establishment and the drive-by media have been letting on; or
(2) Cooper’s team is pumping up Brown to try and ensure the GOP primary is a more tense, combative affair than Whatley’s team would like it to be.
Back to the WSOC report.
Someone should turn this around on Cooper and remind him about how badly crime victims got screwed over during his tenure as attorney general. The state crime lab, which processes evidence for trial in state courts, was under the supervision of the AG’s office. During Cooper’s reign at NC DOJ, the lab was so bad and so behind on its work that localities – such as Moore County, Cumberland County, and the Town of Southern Pines — had to contract with private labs so evidence could be processed in a timely manner for court proceedings.
In 2016, Pat McCrory‘s reelection team — some of whom are now advising Whatley — refused to 
use the crime lab mess against Cooper. Cooper won the governor’s race and Josh Stein moved into the AG’s office — thereby inheriting Cooper’s crime lab mess. We saw a lot of press coverage of Stein allegedly working to fix the lab mess, but the stupid, lazy Raleigh media couldn’t bring themselves to tell viewers / readers specifically who made that mess Stein was now wrestling with.
I’d also remind voters how Cooper worked with Obama to release all kinds of seriously mentally ill people from institutions and integrate them into the general populace.
On top of that, I’d remind voters of the general mess Cooper’s team made at the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services – including the whole Balanced Nutrition debacle.
But, then again, that’s just ME. 
Dan Forest didn’t touch Coop on any matters relating to his admin, failures, inadequacies.
Doubtful Whatley will as well.
He will skate on the SBI and it’s failures, BLM’s looting and fires, COVID lockdowns for yrs over and above EVERY southern state. We were LAST to re-open our state so Trump’s economy would remain stagnant. He closed bars, restaurants, small biz that never recovered. Subsequently sued and lost every case but damage was done. He’s entertained Biden, Harris and every far left liberal dem, including Waltz. Yet, we wants to be Andy Taylor, Mayberry, ah shucks, good ole boy, moderate. He’s a far left, liberal zealot. OUT HIM.
I believe Don will out him; Whatley, not so much.