Roy Cooper's First TV Ad: Dated Headlines, Falsehoods and Exaggerations | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Roy Cooper's ad claims he's "a national leader" as attorney general

    Pushback: The ad cites the president of the liberal Sierra Club, which opposed and delayed upgrades to the Bonner Bridge in North Carolina and whose policies would increase electricity rates by $400 on average. (102 N.C. App. 411; 402 S.E.2d 447; 1991 N.C. App. LEXIS 432; Fact sheet: "Environmental justice in the Clean Power Plan," Sierra Club, 8/20/2015; Report: Energy market impacts of recent federal regulations on the electric power sector," Energy Ventures Analysis, 11/2014; Mark Barrett, "Roy Cooper: NC should develop air plan instead of suing," Asheville Citizen-Times, 8/12/2015)

    Pushback: Roy Cooper's Department of Justice was mismanaged so badly that the State Bureau of Investigation was removed from his control. (Laura Leslie, "Independence of new SBI debated," WRAL, 8/11/2014)

• SBI: "Rogue Justice" (Taryn Fixel, "North Carolina crime lab withheld test results in more than 200 cases," CNN, 1/27/2011)
• "More than 200 cases similar to Taylor's from 1986 until 2003 in which lab results for blood tests were withheld." (Taryn Fixel, "North Carolina crime lab withheld test results in more than 200 cases," CNN, 1/27/2011)

    Pushback: Roy Cooper's crime lab has been widely criticized for sloppy practices, and has been wrought with delays and backlogs, hurting law enforcement's ability to fight crime.

• "Lagging N.C. crime labs leave county looking for options" ("Lagging NC crime labs leave county looking for options, Star-News, 12/21/2012)

Roy Cooper's ad claims Roy Cooper is tough on meth dealers

    Pushback: The ad cites an article from 2004. Since then, North Carolina's meth epidemic has only gotten worse on Roy Cooper's watch and North Carolina is now the #7 state with the most meth labs. ("Top 10 states with the most meth labs," RealClearPolitics, 4/8/2014)

• "...Methamphetamine makers are increasingly moving into North Carolina's cities and suburbs, law enforcement officials say. Last year, investigators found a record 344 meth labs across the state." (Martha Quillian & Lauren Carroll, "Meth labs moving into North Carolina's suburbs," The News & Observer, 8/9/2012)

Roy Cooper's ad says he tackled school violence

    Pushback: The ad cites an article from 2000 - before Roy Cooper was even sworn in as attorney general. (The Charlotte Observer, 11/7/2000)

    Pushback: School violence is up with Roy Cooper as attorney general. ("Crime, dropout rates increase in NC schools," WRAL, 2/24/2016)

    Pushback: Governor McCrory, not Roy Cooper, has led the way in keeping students and teachers safe.

• In 2013, Governor McCrory created the Center for Safer Schools, which brought state and local education officials, members of the health and public safety community, and community leaders to establish best practices and policies to create a safe school environment. (Julia Sims, "McCrory creates NC center to boost school safety," WRAL, 3/19/2013)
• Governor McCrory signed the Protect Our Students Act, creating harsher penalties for sexual misconduct violations perpetrated against students by teachers and other personnel. ("Protect our students act," H.B. 113/S.L. 2015-44, North Carolina General Assembly, signed by Gov. McCrory 6/2/2015)

Roy Cooper's ad claims he's first-rate on consumer protection

    Pushback: The ad cites an article from 2008 - before he supported the passage of Obamacare, which has drastically reduced choices and increased health care costs for North Carolina consumers. (Jon Camp, "NC Republicans challenge health care reform," ABC11, 1/27/2011; "Insurance commissioner blames ACA for industry woes, The News & Observer, 2/3/2016)

Roy Cooper's ad says he protects children from sexual predators.

    Pushback: Roy Cooper was criticized for not adequately defending North Carolina's "Jessica's Law," intended to keep sex offenders and child molesters away from children. Lawmakers were forced to pass a legislative fix to protect children from dangerous sex offenders. (Memorandum Opinion and Order: Doe v. Cooper, 1:13-cv-00711-JAB-JLW, M.D. N.C., p. 7, filed 4/22/2016 [Judge Beaty, James A.])

    Pushback: Under Roy Cooper and his allies, North Carolina was one of the last states to pass Jessica's law and adopt a sex offender registry. (Report: "Sex offender registration and notification in the United States: Current case law and issues," U.S. Department of Justice, July 2012)

Roy Cooper's ad claims he is fighting for public education

    Pushback: Roy Cooper voted to cut funding for public education while serving in the state legislature and let teacher pay in North Carolina decline more than any other state in the country. (Journal of the Senate of the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina; Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of North Carolina)

Roy Cooper's ad asserts he's standing up for millions of North Carolinians as attorney general

    Pushback: From EPA regulations to illegal immigration, Roy Cooper has failed to defend North Carolina families, farmers and businesses from harmful Washington, D.C. policies. (Mark Barrett, "Cooper: NC should develop air plan instead of suing," Asheville Citizen-Times, 8/12/2015; Jon Camp, "NC Republicans challenge health care reform," ABC11, 1/27/2011)

    Pushback: Roy Cooper sided with President Obama's extreme agenda to upend basic privacy standards in school showers, locker rooms and restroom facilities. (Anne Blythe, "Cooper's filing in HB2 lawsuit turns political," The Charlotte Observer, 6/2/2016)

• Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee
•     media@patmccrory.com