Election 2026: Thune groups’ $500M helping Whatley’s fiscal deficit to Cooper

(The Center Square) – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, trailing fiscally throughout his campaign against Democrat Roy Cooper, is getting a portion of the gap filled in by the Senate Leadership Fund led by his party’s campaign group and others aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.

The Senate Leadership Fund on Monday said it and other alliances have raised $500 million for the 2026 midterms. Campaign advertising from Murphy to Manteo already highlights the narrative of Democrats’ “soft on crime” policies as it relates to the death of 22-year-old Logan Federico.