North Carolina will be voting for a new Senator in November. The former Governor Roy Cooper is running for that seat against Michael Whatley, who is not as well known in the state. The campaign is already getting very nasty. One group has gone after Michael Whatley because of his appointment of Harvey West to serve in various roles in the North Carolina Republican party. (source here) However, Roy Cooper is much more vulnerable for attacks because of his behavior as Governor during the Covid epidemic. Most of us remember that many of our constitutional rights were trampled. Among other things, pastors and family members were blocked from visiting dying relatives and parishioners, and churches were closed while other things remained open.
On Sunday, The Daily Caller reported:
The public still has unanswered questions about Democratic North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein securing early release for an untold number of criminals before his term.
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper drew criticism since 2021 for the COVID-19-inspired inmate releases that Stein’s office negotiated while he was Cooper’s attorney general. Stein’s office played a crucial role by capitulating to leftist criminal reform groups who sued in 2020 over the pandemic’s effect on prisons, but he skated to the governor’s mansion in the 2024 elections without enduring as much controversy.
The list of inmates getting released included at least 51 parole-eligible criminals serving life sentences for murder and sex offenses, The Charlotte Observer reported. State officials under Cooper and Stein chose 3,500 inmates to release six months after the settlement, though they have been unclear about whose sentences the settlement actually shortened versus those who were slated for release regardless of the lawsuit.
Copper and Stein’s list captured national attention after surveillance footage was released in September that showed a man — identified as repeat arrestee Decarlos Brown Jr. — fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train. The state included Brown on its list of 3,500 releases before his latest arrest, but later claimed that his armed robbery sentence was set to end anyway, meaning he was not released early.
An upcoming GOP-led investigation state lawmakers announced in April could bring unwanted attention on the COVID settlement for the widely popular governor, whom The Washington Post called “the brightest star” for Democrats to run for president in 2028.
Please follow the link above to read the entire article. I would like to point out that Harvey West has served his time and was interacting with adults in the roles he was appointed to. Some of the criminals Roy Cooper let out were violent and should have remained in jail.
It is no secret to North Carolina that both Roy Cooper and Josh Stein are soft on crime. It remains to be seen if that will impact the Senate election.