When Roy Cooper puts criminals before the innocent, North Carolina families pay the price.

This political slogan relies on a demonstrably misleading connection between Roy Cooper’s pandemic-era administrative actions and later, unrelated criminal activity.

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified September 15, 2026

Independent fact-checkers have repeatedly identified the link between Roy Cooper’s pandemic-era policies and unrelated violent crimes as misleading.
The claim functions as a campaign narrative developed by a political action committee rather than a factual assessment of the former governor's criminal justice record.

The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

The statement is a campaign slogan utilized by the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, during the 2026 North Carolina U.S. Senate race. The narrative attempts to hold former Governor Roy Cooper accountable for violent crimes by linking them to his administration's COVID-19-era inmate release policies.

Independent fact-checkers, including PolitiFact, have examined these allegations and found them to be misleading, noting that they fail to establish a direct causal connection between specific state policies and the subsequent criminal actions of individuals.politifact.com ncarolinaindependent.com Reporting from organizations such as the American Journal News has further characterized these campaign materials as using selectively edited footage and misrepresentations of Cooper's administrative record to suggest he supported policies or outcomes he did not implement.+2 more