This past weekend, Triad Today broadcast another in our long-running series of voter education specials, which have been a regular feature of our show since we first went on the air in the fall of 2003. Thanks to a partnership with Truliant Federal Credit Union, I’ve been able to give candidates blocks of free airtime so they could let voters know about their positions on public policy issues. It’s because of these special programs that Triad Today received the prestigious Spectrum of Democracy Award and was recognized by Congress for our commitment to voter education.
Over the past 23 years, candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, state superintendent of public instruction, state Senate and House, mayor, sheriff, attorney general, Congress, and U.S. Senate have traveled from across the state to appear on Triad Today to answer questions about their qualifications and their political positions. These segments have featured both Republican and Democrat candidates, including such notables as Elizabeth Dole, Kay Hagan, Bev Perdue, Richard Burr, Ted Budd, Addison McDowell, Virginia Foxx, and Pat McCrory. And yet, for over two decades, the one candidate who has consistently refused to sit for an interview is the artful dodger himself, Roy Cooper.
Last weekend Cooper’s opponent in the race for Senate, Michael Whatley, visited with me on Triad Today and outlined his positions on illegal immigration, criminal justice, and strengthening our military. He also talked lovingly about meeting his wife on a blind date, and he made clear why he is running to represent our state in the U.S. Senate. It would have been nice to hear from Cooper, but as you might have guessed, Uncle Roy doesn’t do one-on-one television interviews unless he can control the location, the narrative, and the questions. One might say, “Why should Roy even agree to do an interview when he is leading Whatley by 12 points in the most recent poll?” Two reasons. First, at one point when I was offering multiple taping dates to Roy, Whatley had narrowed the gap to 4 points with an equal number of undecideds in play, and Cooper still refused to commit to an interview. Second, no matter how much a candidate might be favored to win, he has an obligation to let voters know how he stands. For example, Congressman Addison McDowell is favored to beat High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson, and yet, Addison agreed to appear on Triad Today.
My off-again, off-again relationship with Cooper goes back more than a decade. Back in the fall of 2016, when then Attorney General Roy Cooper was running for governor against incumbent Pat McCrory, I called Roy on his private cell phone and invited him to appear on Triad Today. “I’d love to,” he said. “When do you want me there?” Then I said, “That’s great, and by the way, we’ll be joined on set by Pat McCrory for a discussion of issues, not a formal debate, just a casual conversation.” There was a long pause, then Roy said, “Oh. I’ll have to get back to you,” then hung up. That was the last time Roy and I ever spoke, though each election cycle I still invite him to appear on Triad Today, and every time his minions have refused on his behalf.
Earlier this year I offered Roy (via his scheduler) his pick of nearly a dozen different taping dates, but he refused to appear. His refusal could have something to do with the fact that he has amassed a record of service that is indefensible, including his scurrilous role in the HB2 fiasco. Long since forgotten by the electorate, Governor Pat McCrory had personally asked then Attorney General Cooper to block HB2 until the courts could decide the issue, but Roy refused so that voters would blame McCrory for the so-called bathroom bill, which Pat neither created nor supported, and which cost the state a fortune in tourism and economic development. Then there was Cooper’s criticism of McCrory’s rainy day fund, which Roy later redirected away from helping eastern N.C. areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew. And let’s not forget how Gov. Cooper bypassed his council of state to unilaterally keep extending stay-at-home directives and restrictions on businesses even though economists predicted that such extensions could cause over 140,000 North Carolina businesses to close. Finally, Roy probably doesn’t want to do any interviews because he wouldn’t be able to defend his decision to grant early release to scores of violent criminals, including April Barber, who, along with her then boyfriend set fire to her grandparents’ house and burned them alive just because they opposed her relationship with said beau. Roy justified his decision to release Ms. Barber because she was only 15 years old at the time of the murder.
Election day is this coming Tuesday, and it’s important for everyone to vote, but it’s also important to vote for candidates who aren’t afraid to show up, explain their positions, and defend their record. Michael Whatley has shown up. Roy Cooper hasn’t. I’ll leave it at that.
October 27, 2026 @ 9:38 am
Voters Deserve to Hear From Candidates
This past weekend, Triad Today broadcast another in our long-running series of voter education specials, which have been a regular feature of our show since we first went on the air in the fall of 2003. Thanks to a partnership with Truliant Federal Credit Union, I’ve been able to give candidates blocks of free airtime so they could let voters know about their positions on public policy issues. It’s because of these special programs that Triad Today received the prestigious Spectrum of Democracy Award and was recognized by Congress for our commitment to voter education.
Over the past 23 years, candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, state superintendent of public instruction, state Senate and House, mayor, sheriff, attorney general, Congress, and U.S. Senate have traveled from across the state to appear on Triad Today to answer questions about their qualifications and their political positions. These segments have featured both Republican and Democrat candidates, including such notables as Elizabeth Dole, Kay Hagan, Bev Perdue, Richard Burr, Ted Budd, Addison McDowell, Virginia Foxx, and Pat McCrory. And yet, for over two decades, the one candidate who has consistently refused to sit for an interview is the artful dodger himself, Roy Cooper.
Last weekend Cooper’s opponent in the race for Senate, Michael Whatley, visited with me on Triad Today and outlined his positions on illegal immigration, criminal justice, and strengthening our military. He also talked lovingly about meeting his wife on a blind date, and he made clear why he is running to represent our state in the U.S. Senate. It would have been nice to hear from Cooper, but as you might have guessed, Uncle Roy doesn’t do one-on-one television interviews unless he can control the location, the narrative, and the questions. One might say, “Why should Roy even agree to do an interview when he is leading Whatley by 12 points in the most recent poll?” Two reasons. First, at one point when I was offering multiple taping dates to Roy, Whatley had narrowed the gap to 4 points with an equal number of undecideds in play, and Cooper still refused to commit to an interview. Second, no matter how much a candidate might be favored to win, he has an obligation to let voters know how he stands. For example, Congressman Addison McDowell is favored to beat High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson, and yet, Addison agreed to appear on Triad Today.
My off-again, off-again relationship with Cooper goes back more than a decade. Back in the fall of 2016, when then Attorney General Roy Cooper was running for governor against incumbent Pat McCrory, I called Roy on his private cell phone and invited him to appear on Triad Today. “I’d love to,” he said. “When do you want me there?” Then I said, “That’s great, and by the way, we’ll be joined on set by Pat McCrory for a discussion of issues, not a formal debate, just a casual conversation.” There was a long pause, then Roy said, “Oh. I’ll have to get back to you,” then hung up. That was the last time Roy and I ever spoke, though each election cycle I still invite him to appear on Triad Today, and every time his minions have refused on his behalf.
Earlier this year I offered Roy (via his scheduler) his pick of nearly a dozen different taping dates, but he refused to appear. His refusal could have something to do with the fact that he has amassed a record of service that is indefensible, including his scurrilous role in the HB2 fiasco. Long since forgotten by the electorate, Governor Pat McCrory had personally asked then Attorney General Cooper to block HB2 until the courts could decide the issue, but Roy refused so that voters would blame McCrory for the so-called bathroom bill, which Pat neither created nor supported, and which cost the state a fortune in tourism and economic development. Then there was Cooper’s criticism of McCrory’s rainy day fund, which Roy later redirected away from helping eastern N.C. areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew. And let’s not forget how Gov. Cooper bypassed his council of state to unilaterally keep extending stay-at-home directives and restrictions on businesses even though economists predicted that such extensions could cause over 140,000 North Carolina businesses to close. Finally, Roy probably doesn’t want to do any interviews because he wouldn’t be able to defend his decision to grant early release to scores of violent criminals, including April Barber, who, along with her then boyfriend set fire to her grandparents’ house and burned them alive just because they opposed her relationship with said beau. Roy justified his decision to release Ms. Barber because she was only 15 years old at the time of the murder.
Election day is this coming Tuesday, and it’s important for everyone to vote, but it’s also important to vote for candidates who aren’t afraid to show up, explain their positions, and defend their record. Michael Whatley has shown up. Roy Cooper hasn’t. I’ll leave it at that.