Welcome back to the Old North State Update. This is edition #28 for 2026.
The Big Story
President Trump’s primetime speech on election fraud was a barn burner.
Watch the full speech here and visit the White House’s dedicated webpage on the topics he spoke about, which includes zip files of documentation and other data points.
One important piece to note is North Carolina being cited as being among a handful of states that have been proactive in cleaning up voter rolls.
NC State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes issued a statement about the SAVE data released by the White House after MTTS published this article:
“At the State Board of Elections, we take any evidence of ineligible individuals on our voter rolls very seriously.
Last night, the Department of Homeland Security released information showing that SAVE identified 1,599 potential non-U.S. citizens on North Carolina’s voter rolls. These potentially ineligible registrations represent an extremely small percentage of the 7.8 million registered voters in our state.
However, one ineligible registrant is still one too many. Therefore, we are developing a process by which State Board and county boards of elections records, as well as other available sources, will be researched for evidence that an identified registrant is eligible to vote. If that research is inconclusive, then the State Board will contact the registrant regarding their citizenship status.
I want to assure the public that we are going to follow all applicable state and federal laws as this process unfolds. Each registrant will be afforded the appropriate due process before any removal proceeding is initiated.
I also want to assure the public that this process will be transparent, and we will provide updates as new information becomes available. “
NCGA
The General Assembly is out until July 27.
CONGRESS
Graham dies, McConnell lives
Sen. Lindsey Graham unexpectedly passed away and Sen. Mitch McConnell unexpectedly recovered.
Not McLovin’ it anymore?
Congressman Chuck Edwards and his wife have sold all of their McDonald’s franchises.
The mask drops
100 House Democrats voted to cut off aid to Israel this past week. Among the 100 were NC Democrat Congresswomen Valerie Foushee and Deborah Ross. Embattled NC-01 Rep. Don Davis didn’t vote.
U.S. SENATE
Quick Hits
Whatley visited all 100 counties. Cooper only hit 16 - including repeats.
Cooper told a whopper about his prisoner list on X, resulting in quite a ratio.
Dark Money group says Cooper is a “problem solver”
No Labels, a 501(c)3 that has multiple dark money PACS, gave Cooper the group’s first “problem solver” seal of 2026. But Cooper’s 104 vetoes say otherwise.
Folks should do their homework on No Labels, which was founded by Nancy Jacobson, the wife of Hillary Clinton’s top strategist, Mark Penn. A better name for the group would be “Hiding Labels.”
Whatley's 7-figure ad buy, Cooper's Q2 record breaker
Whatley launched his first big digital ad buy called "Miles" this week.
The ad flipped the script, hitting Cooper on his record of making stuff cost more.
While he was governor, multiple studies showed North Carolinians paid the highest health care costs in the country — and costs continue to soar since the expansion of Medicaid.
Electric bills in the state have risen by 22% since 2020, the start of Cooper’s second term. Affordable housing in North Carolina is nearly non-existent, according to the NC Housing Finance agency.
A report by Congress states that under Cooper’s second term, “Cumulatively, the average North Carolina household has spent $31,111 more due to inflation
since January 2021.” That includes spending over $3,580 more a year on groceries — which Cooper was silent on during the Biden years.
The ad launched the same day Cooper’s campaign dropped his $14.8M second quarter fundraising total. Whatley’s campaign brought in $5M for the same quarter.
Check North State Journal next week for my write-up on these two items.
Stuff is starting to cost less?
The Consumer Price Index data came out on Tuesday, showing a smaller than expected increase as gas and energy prices fell.
“The consumer price index fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, bringing the annual inflation rate down to 3.5%,” according to CNBC. “Wall Street had expected a 0.2% monthly decline and 3.8% annual level. The monthly drop was the largest since April 2020.”
Don’t get too excited, bringing down Biden era prices is going to take time and additional avenues of energy expansion related to getting goods to market, etc. Read the deeper breakdown.
Good Small Biz News
According to a press release by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), its Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.1 points in June to 97.4, “nearing its 52-year average of 98.0.”
Whatley goes on offense
Whatley started taking sharper jabs at Cooper on social media. Check out these zingers.
POLLING
Four and two point races
Public Policy Polling says Whatley has closed the gap and is now within 4 points of Cooper; 48% to 44%.
That same poll has Republican Sarah Stevens within 2 points of NC Supreme Court Assoc. Justice Anita Earls, who is backed by former President Obama’s attorney general and wingman Eric Holder.
More polling
Gallup: Confidence in U.S. Institutions Remains Near All-Time Low
WHAT I AM READING
Family shattered after 3-time deported illegal immigrant allegedly blew through stop sign, roiling House race (NC’s 1st District)
Roy Cooper found his conscience two hours after Chuck Schumer did
Dem Senate Hopeful Vetoed ICE Cooperation, And These Migrant Criminals Took Advantage
A double standard on press access (Related: Well, Golly.)