The current officeholder is retiring, so the seat will have a new winner. Forecasters give the Democrats the edge. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, shows a record of donations linked to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, but the exact amount is still being confirmed. Michael Whatley, a Republican, shows a record of donations linked to AIPAC, but the exact amount is still being confirmed.
Major issues facing North Carolina, based on 2025–2026 reporting. Compare them with what each candidate says they focus on below.
FEC campaign finance data through Jun 30, 2026. Campaign dollars, by source.
| Roy Cooper D | Michael Whatley R | |
|---|---|---|
| Raised | $35M | $11.3M |
| Individuals | $13.1M37% | $5.5M48% |
| PACs & parties | $821K2% | $936K8% |
| Self-funded | $0 | $0 |
| Other | $21M60% | $4.9M43% |
| AIPAC-linked* | — | — |
| Outside spending† | — | — |
* AIPAC-linked money is already counted in the rows above — it flags the pro-Israel share, not extra money.
† Independent spending on ads for or against a candidate. It never goes to their campaign.
“Individuals” covers both small-dollar (under $200) and large donors.
Every donor ranked by how much they gave, from the candidate’s own FEC filings — individuals, PACs, and party committees all in one list. Expand a candidate to see theirs, then tap any name to learn more about the donor.
Why are so many gifts exactly $10,000? That’s the legal maximum a PAC can give one candidate for the whole cycle — $5,000 for the primary plus $5,000 for the general — so many PACs give the max. Individuals can give up to $3,500 per election.
Showing the 50 biggest of 11585 donors. The other 11535 gave $8.7M combined.
Plus $4.7M from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.
Showing the 50 biggest of 4963 donors. The other 4913 gave $4.1M combined.
Plus $1.8M from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.
These figures come from the candidate’s own itemized FEC reports (2026 cycle, through the coverage date above), with amendments applied and refunds netted. Joint fundraising transfers are left out of the ranking: they’re pass-throughs, and the individual donations behind them are listed above. Bank interest, vendor refunds, and other non-donation receipts are excluded. Donor names are as reported — the same person can appear twice if their name was recorded differently. Independent spending on ads is never included here — see the Outside spending column.
October 12, 2026
GOP triage: Senate Leadership Fund pulls out of North Carolina, pours $10M+ into Kansas and $5M into South Carolina
With three weeks to Election Day, the Senate Leadership Fund has suspended its North Carolina ad reservations and redirected at least $10 million into Kansas, where Roger Marshall faces an unexpectedly competitive challenge, plus $5 million to boost Darline Graham in South Carolina. The group has spent more than $100 million in Texas backing Ken Paxton, while the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC fuels a major GOP cash advantage and American Bridge has put $20M+ into South Carolina, Kansas, Florida, and Mississippi for Democrats.
Source: CNN →