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North Carolinians say the economy is the No. 1 issue leading to their vote this November.
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In a recent poll by East Carolina University, 43% of likely voters said so. The next closest issue was border security and immigration at 12%.
The leading Senate candidates, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from Raleigh, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, of Gastonia, have very different takes on the state of the economy.
Republican Thom Tillis currently represents North Carolina in the Senate, but chose not to seek reelection after publicly sparring with President Donald Trump over negative effects Trump’s policies would have on North Carolina’s Medicaid recipients beginning in 2028.
That leaves voters to choose between Cooper and Whatley.
Whatley has spent months defending Trump and the economy under his presidency, and turning the conversation to violent crimes. Cooper, meanwhile, has been on a more than six-month tour talking about high costs North Carolinians are paying, from child care to prescription medication. He wants to cut tariffs, block grocery-chain mergers, and restrict the use of price-setting algorithms.
Here’s where they stand.
Last year, Whatley appeared on Newsmax and said, “Grocery prices are down, gasoline prices are down, housing prices are down, inflation is down.”
Then, four days before Trump declared war on Iran, Whatley appeared on Fox News saying, “Inflation is way down.”
The war, launched in February, and relaunched several times since, dramatically increased the cost of gas.
Whatley blames both former President Joe Biden and Cooper for high inflation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation increased due to supply and demand problems.
Inflation reached an all-time high during Biden’s presidency and the pandemic, in 2021, at 7%. But while Biden was still president and Cooper was still governor, inflation dropped in 2023 back to 3.4% and again in 2024 to 2.9%.
As Trump took office, inflation decreased to 2.7%. But now, inflation is on the rise again, at 3.4%.
On Wednesday night, Trump stood on stage in Gastonia in support of Whatley’s campaign. There, he declared he had “fixed the egg crisis.” Egg price increases were more fallout from the pandemic. Coupled with an avian flu, the average cost of a dozen eggs reached $6.23 in March 2025, near the start of Trump’s second term. The average cost today is $2.27.
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Trump said the increased cost of gas is “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done.”
AAA recorded gas prices one year ago at $2.88 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Carolina. Today, that cost is $4.12.
“What I would say is that it is dramatically better than it was under the Biden administration,” Whatley told C-SPAN Wednesday. “… Grocery prices, housing prices, gasoline prices all went absolutely through the roof.”
AAA recorded gas prices being $2.89 in North Carolina in August 2021.
Little about Whatley’s economic policies are available on his website.
Here’s what it does offer: “America’s economic strength depends on reliable, affordable energy and reining in Washington’s reckless spending. By practicing fiscal responsibility and unleashing American energy, we can empower American workers, create good paying jobs, achieve energy independence, and build lasting prosperity for every American.”
He also promises to uphold Trump’s agenda.
And in the past he’s told McClatchy that he wants North Carolina families to be able to “take home more money and keep more money.”
He’s told WRAL he “will create jobs, raise wages, expand opportunity, and make our state affordable again.”
Whatley makes similar comments as he tours North Carolina campaigning for the Senate.
Cooper used Whatley’s words on the economy in his own ad before saying, “Unbelievable. I know costs are up, and it’s a senator’s job to do something about it.”
Cooper has spent the entirety of his Senate race post-primary focused on the economy in his “Make Stuff Cost Less tour.”
His website includes an entire section dedicated to his plan to do that.
“Roy Cooper has a four-point plan to lower grocery prices,” his website states. “First, he would put an end to the chaotic tariffs that have driven up costs for farmers, who have to pass it on to you, the customer. Second, he’d block the mergers of grocery giants that reduce competition and raise prices. Third, he’d ban the algorithms used to raise prices on specific customers. And fourth, he’d make it illegal for big food producers to coordinate prices and supply information to drive up prices.”
But this plan also tackles healthcare, lowering energy and utility costs, making child care affordable and lowering housing costs.
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