While the latest compilation of polls by RealClearPolling shows Democrat Roy Cooper with a 9.5-point lead over Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, POLITICO reports that Whatley's television advertising has gone dark.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a major Republican super PAC, has reportedly paused its advertising spending in North Carolina and redirected resources to other Senate races. It does not currently have future linear TV ad reservations booked in the race, a highly unusual move less than three weeks before Election Day in a state once considered a top GOP priority.
According to AdImpact, a political advertising research and data company that tracks television, digital and streaming ads across the United States, Whatley's campaign had no future TV ads booked as of Oct. 14. Meanwhile, Cooper's campaign had reserved $7.4 million in advertising, and outside groups had committed substantially more money to support Cooper than Whatley.
According to Whatley's official campaign website, his most recent listed appearance was a "Make More, Keep More" press conference in Concord on Oct. 13, alongside local elected officials and business owners.
The campaign's news page lists a press conference in Hendersonville on Oct. 12 and events in Benson and Shelby before that. His last major public rally or nationally covered appearance was with President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Gastonia on Sept. 16.
"The Republicans, statewide and nationally, are shifting funds around, and the word is that he's been defunded," says Greensboro-based Dr. Alex McFarland.
Though he recognizes that "the pessimistic answer might be because they're assuming he's going to lose to Roy Cooper," McFarland says voters must not be discouraged by the gloom and doom he says the Left is promoting.
"Radical, woke Marxists trade on hopelessness: There's no hope. It's no use. Why even bother? Well, no, America is worth showing up for," McFarland insists. "North Carolina is worth fighting for. This midterm election, we cannot sit this one out."
Cooper's campaign has used the report to criticize Whatley and emphasize its own efforts to win voters. The campaign has pledged to fight for North Carolinians while arguing that Whatley would use a Senate seat to continue enriching himself at voters' expense.
Whatley's campaign, however, says the advertising pause is a strategic move to better target late-deciding voters and insists it has the resources to win, even as Republican groups redirect some funding to other Senate races.
McFarland adds that Christians have a scriptural responsibility to vote against Democrats.
"The policies of the Democrat Party are the policies of Satan and contrary to God and His will and His Word," the apologist concludes.
