Whatley vs Cooper Prison Debate | Durham News

Durham News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 15, 2026 · 1m

A fiery political feud in North Carolina is heating up as Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley retracts his past criticism of Governor Roy Cooper’s prison policies during the pandemic, claiming he never advocated for mass releases but only for safety measures like masks. Cooper’s campaign counters that Whatley’s comments came after a judge mandated releases, and that Cooper followed court orders. The controversy is further fueled by a tragic case involving a woman killed by a former inmate — though it’s been clarified the attacker had completed his sentence. Whatley’s past GOP…