Affordability takes center stage as Cooper, Whatley visit Triangle
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the Senate race heats up in North Carolina, the two major-party candidates held affordability-focused events in the Triangle on Thursday.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper made another stop on his "Make Stuff Cost Less" tour, this time in Durham. Meanwhile, Republican candidate Michael Whatley appeared at a chamber of commerce event in Raleigh.
"We need to make stuff cost less," Cooper said.
Stopping in Durham, Cooper was joined by his successor, Gov. Josh Stein, rallying the grounds around a message on top of everyone's minds: The cost of living. His slogan: Make stuff cost less."
"And now, with the war in Iran, here comes higher gas prices, yet another burden for working families," Cooper said. "The chaos in Washington is making life worse for most people as the wealthiest get further ahead."
Like Cooper, Whately also said affordability was a primary issue.
"I think it comes down to tax policy. It comes down to regulatory policy. It comes down to trade policies. You know, how are we going to create those jobs? And talking to the small businesses, right? Talking to manufacturers, talking to farmers, that are the job creators all across the state," Whatley said.
It's a discussion that he said is top of mind for voters.
"The real conversation we are having today is how do we create more jobs, how to create better jobs, how do we make sure people are going to take home more money, and how do we make sure people can keep more money for their households?" Whatley said.
Whatley was joined at the roundtable by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Whatley also addressed the conflict in Iran.
"The fact is that we need to ensure that Iran is not going to have nuclear capacity, that they're not going to be able to deliver payloads via missiles into Europe or the United States, and that they're going to stop exporting terrorism," Whatley said. "That is an agenda that is wildly popular here in North Carolina."
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Back in Durham, Cooper pressed his message.
"For too many people, the middle class feels like a distant dream," Cooper said. "With the cost of groceries, health care, utilities, housing, and childcare skyrocketing, working families are being crushed. I am running to make stuff cost less, for young parents like Kewanna dealing with higher grocery prices, for farmers like Pender being forced to navigate the reckless tariffs, and for veterans like Tim who are seeing their VA health care get gutted. In Washington DC, I'll be an independent voice, working with anyone to make stuff cost less for hard-working North Carolinians."
Stein touted Cooper's record as governor.
"Roy Cooper has delivered time and time again for North Carolina," Stein said. "Getting health care for hundreds of thousands of working people, making our communities safer and lowering costs for our state's families. Roy can see, like the rest of us, that things are too expensive right now and our people are hurting because of it."
Cooper also argued that Congress can take immediate steps to help working families.
"We can stop the chaotic tariffs that are driving up prices. We can take on insurance companies that are crushing working families with hidden fees and denied claims," he said. "We can rally together to save Medicaid and Medicare."
It's going to be one of the most expensive Senate races in the country heading into November. Republicans have not lost a Senate race in North Carolina since 2008, while Cooper has never lost an election in the state. North Carolina, and this is widely seen as one of the biggest potential pick-up opportunities for Democrats.
