North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper praised former President Joe Biden as one of the nation’s “finest presidents” following Biden’s widely panned debate performance against President Trump in Atlanta on June 28, 2024. Cooper said Biden “was able to pass transformative legislation that will benefit our economy, our families, and our country for generations to come.” During that same event, Biden told Cooper he would receive a cabinet post if reelected.
Cooper’s comments reflect a governing record, built over his two terms as governor, closely aligned with the energy and immigration priorities of the Biden administration.
Energy Policy and Rising Costs
Electricity prices in North Carolina rose 30 percent during Cooper’s time as governor, nearly double the increase seen in neighboring Tennessee and Virginia. A Washington Reporter analysis published in August found that “North Carolina’s electricity prices rose faster than any other state in the Southeast between 2017 and 2024,” a period covering most of Cooper’s tenure.
The N.C. Utilities Commission, whose members Cooper largely appointed, drew taxpayer-funded salaries of $154,947 in 2023, with the chair earning $172,287. A former Democratic state senator served among the commission’s members at the time.
In 2022, Cooper committed $1 billion in taxpayer money to an unproven electric vehicle company that ultimately failed, part of an effort to expand EV adoption in North Carolina in line with tax credits created under the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
Cooper also supported offshore wind energy development in the Outer Banks despite objections from military leaders. The U.S. Navy raised concerns that the large turbines involved could interfere with pilot training operations in the area.
As Hurricane Helene made landfall, Cooper appeared at a New York Times conference to discuss North Carolina’s clean energy initiatives rather than remain focused on emergency preparedness in the state.
Donor Ties
Cooper has been linked to American Efficient, a green energy company now facing a $1.1 billion fine that federal regulators described as a “scam for the history books.” According to NC Tribune reporting from April, the family behind American Efficient has donated at least $886,526 to North Carolina Democrats over the years, including $72,850 to Cooper. The family includes a sitting North Carolina state senator and a prominent donor Cooper appointed to a major state housing board.
While in office, Cooper issued multiple executive orders advancing clean energy goals, including the NC Clean Energy Plan and a “Clean Energy and Equitable Economy” initiative targeting net-zero carbon emissions and zero-emission transportation statewide.
Immigration Record
On immigration, Cooper vetoed three separate bills that would have required local law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and hold illegal immigrants with active detainers in county jails. After one such veto in 2019, it was revealed that 489 illegal immigrants with active ICE detainers had been released, including individuals charged with sex offenses, kidnapping, and homicide.
In one of those cases, a man released despite an active detainer later strangled his 19-year-old girlfriend to death and fled the state. Cooper, facing pressure from the Soros-funded advocacy group Siembra NC, defended his 2019 veto, writing, “This legislation is simply about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina.”
In January 2024, Cooper did not respond to a letter from state Republicans urging him to decline placing illegal immigrants in North Carolina and to send state National Guard soldiers to assist Texas at the southern border.
Health Questions and Campaign Response
Cooper, who has held public office for roughly four decades, has recently faced questions about his health and whether he intends to serve a full Senate term if elected. When a news outlet raised the question, Cooper’s campaign had attorney Marc Elias send the outlet a cease-and-desist letter.
Republican communications consultant Matt Whitlock responded to the episode: “Seems notable that Roy Cooper is so sensitive to questions about his health that he has dark money election denier Mark Elias sending cease and desist letters as a response to basic media inquiries.”
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