Welcome back to the Old North State Update. This is edition #27 for 2026.
Last week this newsletter was on hiatus. See updates from that week at the bottom of this update.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Budget Signed
Gov. Josh Stein signed the $34 billion state budget this week, offering a good amount of praise for it, but also criticisms — channeling his predecessor Roy Cooper on items like tax cuts “for the wealthy.”
Like his predecessor, Stein also attacked the private school grant program as ‘stealing’ money from public schools despite that program having its own reserve fund separate from the education budget.
Big takeaways: Largest teacher raise since 2006, law enforcement see big raises, more Hurricane Helene relief.
Read my write up at North State Journal on Stein signing the budget and my previous article on the major items agreed upon by lawmakers.
The General Assembly returns on July 27 to close out the short session.
U.S. SENATE
Whatley endorsed by Police Benevolent Association
Michael Whatley was endorsed by the over 17,000 member Police Benevolent Association (PBA) this past Thursday. This is the second major law enforcement group to back Whatley; he was endorsed by the NC State Troopers Association back in March.
I was on hand for the PBA press event, read my write-up at North State Journal. Watch video of his remarks here.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes
Two ‘news’ outlets were kept out of Whatley’s endorsement press conference: NC Newsline, funded by dark money, and The Assembly, which started up with grant money and nonprofits, but offers paid subscriptions.
The Assembly reporter issued a statement on X about being kept out of the event.
By the way, Anderson didn’t just innocently ask about a favorite hockey player as his statement says. This is the same reporter who made a scene at Whatley’s no tax on tips roundtable last month by stepping on other reporter’s questions, chasing Whatley around the room after the press gaggle ended, and trailing Whatley out of the private event room and out into a main dining area.
Anderson’s lamentations are also ironic.
Cooper has historically shut out news outlets he doesn’t like, and I can speak from experience having been shut out from asking a question at his COVID briefings for 418 days — using an app to screen North State Journal out.
Former WRAL reporter Travis Fain was upset, implying those reporters were cut out because they might ask questions Whatley might not like — OH, THE IRONY:
Not a single legacy media outlet expressed outrage at NSJ being shut out or support for any of the others that were snubbed, so when several former and current reporters made comments on X about Newsline and The Assembly being shut out despite being credentialed capitol reporters, I reminded them.
It’s also worth noting I routinely had my written questions and records requests ignored by Cooper when he was governor, and calls to his press office went unreturned. Additionally, other outlets like WBT and Carolina Journal also received the same treatment during those COVID briefings.
Currently, Cooper’s campaign has not included North State Journal on its media list despite requests to add us. Looks like he doesn’t want North State Journal asking any questions he doesn’t like. Surely the capitol press corps credentialed reporters will be coming to our defense.
C-Span upstaging attempt
Cooper held his most curated campaign event this past week, which uncoincidentally was held at the exact same time Whatley was receiving his PBA endorsement. It was a clear political move to upstage Whatley’s news of capturing another major law enforcement endorsement by suddenly televising his own event on C-SPAN.
During the event, Cooper now he says he’s running to “do something, not to be something,” seemingly a pivot in a new direction from “Make Stuff Cost Less.”
Cooper, who sends at least 3 fundraising emails a day and who has been backed by a dark money outfit called Moving NC Forward, also complained (again) about the impact on the Senate race by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on campaign finance
Standing up for women
Whatley also held an event in Indian trail highlighting Roy Cooper’s vetoes of bills protecting women in sports, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, and a bill barring transgender surgeries for minors.
The event was titled “Standing up for Daughters and Children,” and it featured Payton McNabb, a former NC high school volleyball player seriously injured by a transgender opponent, as well as Congressman Mark Harris, who has been involved in moving forward Title IX investigations in Cabarrus and Buncombe Counties after female students filed formal federal complaints about males in female bathrooms.
Check out this X post by Whatley for a quick video clip featuring McNabb and Harris making some brief remarks.
Related reading from Breitbart: Roy Cooper Vetoed Bills Protecting Women’s Sports, Parental Rights, and Minors from Sex-Change Procedures
Cooper Flashback: “It’s important that we remove this horrible requirement that transgender people had to go to the restroom of their birth certificate. That is gone.” - Gov. Roy Cooper on HB2 repeal
Cooper finally called on Platner to drop out
Apparently a sexual assault claim was a bridge too far despite Nazi tattoos and the dozen or so other scandals tied to Platner. Cooper jumped ship, as did Bernie Sanders and his socialist org, “Our Revolution,” which was backing Platner.
Curiously, Democrats like Sherrod Brown and Cooper delivered almost identical messages denouncing Platner —within minutes of each other.
As recently as July 6, Cooper had refused to answer questions about Platner. Of course, these questions had to be yelled at him on the street since his campaign blocks outlets that might ask such questions from attending his events.
The Whatley camp made hay out of Cooper’s clearly scripted statement sending out an email titled, “Roy Cooper is Cool with Nazi Tattoos, Mocking Purple Heart Recipients, Grooming Websites, and Fantasizing about Rape as a Home Defense Tactic.”
Platner’s Nazi tattoo is well-documented by this point, but that wasn’t enough for top Democrats like Cooper to call him out, apparently.
The Whatley campaign email cited multiple women who have now accused Platner of harassment, sexual abuse and other disturbing behavior.
Platner’s past Reddit comments also surfaced, one of which told rape victims to “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f*cked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.” But those weren’t the worst of his Reddit comments — check out this video Senate Republicans put together.
Those past comments, when paired with an active account on the app Kik, often used by sexual predators to find victims, paints an ugly picture. Platner was also cited as having called police officers “opportunistic cowards.”
Softball session
Additionally, Cooper went on the “Pod Save America“ podcast with former Senior Obama advisor Dan Pfieffer.
ACP Scandal Anniversary
This past week was the anniversary of Cooper’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline scandal.
Read the entire story, including the backchannel pressure put on the the energy providers involved in the deal to provide a $57.8 million “mitigation fund,” which some called a slush fund, that would be put in an escrow account only Cooper would control.
POLLING
No change in Real Clear Polling’s 6.9+ advantage to Cooper over Whatley.
Polymarkets: Socialist AOC is close to Newsom for 2028 presidential hopes, but both have bottom dwelling percentages
Gallup: Americans’ Support for (LEGAL) Immigration Down, Still Strong
WHAT I AM READING
Chinese drone monopoly put on notice amid concerns over CCP spying: ‘Strategic mistake’
Related: Read the bill NC’s Congressman Pat Harrigan has filed to upend Chinese drone use.
Additional reading: Democrat Party overtaken by Socialists
Bill Clinton reveals how he feels about upcoming midterms after socialist victories
Many Democratic Socialist leaders are self-professed communists, DSA caucus statements show
Top hits from last week’s haitus
NBC News made hay over Whatley moving to NC in high school. No word from that outlet on Roy Cooper’s secret first wife.
North Carolina voter: “I ain’t voting for Roy Cooper.“
Far Left MoveOn endorsed Cooper.
New Ad: Roy Cooper made stuff cost more.