Hayes says SLF 'swindled' him into North Carolina political ad after son's murder

Senate Leadership Fund pulls remaining $30 million from Whatley race as Cooper holds 11-point lead

Ronald Hayes, whose son Shemar was murdered in 2024, said the Senate Leadership Fund had “swindled” him into appearing in a political campaign advertisement, believing instead that he would appear in content opposing gun violence, according to the Guardian. Hayes was one of several crime victims featured in the SLF’s North Carolina advertising, which the Guardian characterized as focused on public safety.

The Guardian’s account of Hayes’s comments comes amid the SLF’s withdrawal of ad spending from North Carolina’s U.S. Senate contest. The Senate Leadership Fund, the campaign arm of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has pulled its advertising in North Carolina to redirect support to other Republican candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other outlets confirmed the report with sources close to the fund.

The fund had pledged $71 million to hold the seat for Republican Michael Whatley and had begun targeting Cooper before he won the Democratic nomination. The SLF had planned to spend an additional $30 million supporting Whatley before the pullback.

Among the SLF’s North Carolina advertisements were spots last year attempting to link Cooper with the killing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee killed in an unprovoked attack aboard a light-rail train in Charlotte. Cooper was not in office at the time of the attack.

The retirement of Thom Tillis from the U.S. Senate opened the door for Democrats to flip the seat. Former governor Roy Cooper, described by the Guardian as a “venerable presence” in the state’s politics, easily won the Democratic nomination. Whatley, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, was handpicked by Donald Trump and viewed as a more mainstream candidate than other Republican contenders in the closely contested state.

Cooper has maintained a polling lead over Whatley throughout the campaign. An AARP poll released on Monday gave Cooper an 11-point lead, consistent with other recent surveys. Cooper has never had less than a four-point lead on Whatley in any public poll this year.

Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority heading into the midterm elections. With Vice President JD Vance available as a tiebreaker, the party can lose no more than three seats and still retain control.

The Cook Political Report rates the North Carolina race as “leans Democratic.” Seven other Senate contests are rated as toss-ups, five held by Republicans — in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Texas. A sixth Republican-held seat, in Kansas, is rated “leans Republican” and has become the focus of the SLF’s redirected spending.

The SLF reportedly will redirect its North Carolina resources to support Kansas Senator Roger Marshall against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor.

In-person early voting in North Carolina begins on October 15.