Michael Whatley halts television advertising in North Carolina Senate campaign

Republican candidate Michael Whatley has paused his campaign's television advertising in the North Carolina United States Senate race, Politico Congress and AOL.com reported. A spokesperson for Whatley described the move as a temporary pause, according to Politico Congress. The decision comes less than three weeks before Election Day as national Republican groups retreat from the state, Politico Congress reported. [1][6]

The television pause follows polling that shows Democratic candidate Roy Cooper holding a double-digit lead in the contest, Forbes and The Hill both report. The Hill reported that Cooper maintains a 14-point lead over Whatley in recent polling. Donald Trump is scheduled to campaign for Whatley in North Carolina, according to WSOC TV. [3][4][7]

Separately, several organizations fought in a Winston-Salem federal court to halt new mail-in ballot restrictions in the state, Courthouse News Service reported. The lawsuit was filed in September by the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, Down Home North Carolina, and two absentee voters, according to Courthouse News Service. Over 30,000 absentee ballots have already been cast as the state prepares for early voting, Courthouse News Service reported. [2]

North Carolina has a population of over 10 million people and its state capital is Raleigh, while Charlotte serves as its most populous city. As FTMQ Politics reported earlier, previous polling from The Trafalgar Group and East Carolina University had showed Cooper leading Whatley by seven percentage points. [8][10][11]