Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is aligning himself with one of President Donald Trump’s longtime foes as he mounts a campaign to flip North Carolina’s open Senate seat blue.
Cooper sent a joint fundraising email with Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff just an hour after announcing his Senate bid Monday, telling supporters that he is “grateful” to have Schiff’s endorsement. Cooper’s decision to fundraise with Schiff comes as the North Carolina Democrat is likely to cast himself as a moderate during the campaign — but national Republican groups are eager to use Cooper’s left-wing record as governor against him. (RELATED: GOP Groups Promise To Make Dems’ Top Recruit Regret Jumping Into Blockbuster Senate Race)
“Will you split a contribution of $20 or another amount that’s right for you between my campaign and Adam Schiff to get us started off strong?” a fundraising email sent to the Schiff campaign’s distribution list on behalf of Cooper said Monday. “I’m grateful to have Adam Schiff’s support in this crucial race, and I’d like to have yours, too.”
Schiff helped lead House Democrats’ first impeachment of the president and notably accused the president of colluding with Russia during his successful 2016 campaign. The two men have clashed more recently over allegations that Schiff committed mortgage fraud — with Trump calling on the California Democrat to face prosecution.
Schiff followed up his fundraising effort for Cooper by publicly endorsing the North Carolina Democrat Monday.
“Go get ‘em, Gov,” Schiff wrote from his personal account on the social media platform X. “America needs you.”
A super PAC linked to Senate Republican leadership hammered Roy for jointly fundraising with Schiff, calling attention to the former governors’ decision to veto legislation requiring the state’s law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and ban child sex procedures in North Carolina.
“No surprise that the guy who supports sanctuary cities and child gender transition surgeries is happily letting Adam Schiff shill for campaign contributions from California liberals,” Senate Leadership Fund Communications Director Chris Gustafson said in a statement. “Roy Cooper’s ‘moderate’ image didn’t even make it to 5 PM.”
The outside spending group also rolled out a $200,000 digital ad campaign slamming Cooper as “Radical Roy” on Monday.
“Roy Cooper masquerades as a moderate, but his radical record exposes the truth,” the digital messaging states.
Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley is expected to jump into the state’s Republican primary in the coming days. He will enter the race with Trump’s support and is expected to clear the primary field.
Spokespersons for Cooper and Schiff did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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