As I predicted, the Whatley campaign is talking about crime 24/7. It isn’t working, partly because it is very difficult to redefine a politician who is as well known to the voters as Roy Cooper, and partly because Cooper anticipated this line of attack and has rebutted it effectively.
What is missing here is any meaningful discussion about national issues; after all, Whatley and Cooper are running for the US Senate, not a local prosecutor job. Donald Trump’s name hasn’t come up once in the dueling ads. Not once.
Objectively, that’s ridiculous. As a practical matter, it probably suits both candidates–Whatley, because Trump has very low approval ratings, and Cooper, because he is chasing votes from Trump supporters.