NC Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Whatley in Senate Race as 6,000 Members Press Crime Debate
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 21
NC Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Whatley in Senate Race as 6,000 Members Press Crime Debate
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 21
Summary
The North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police backed Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, saying repeat offenders, bail policy and support for law enforcement drove the endorsement.
Chet Effler tied the move to a year of high-profile violent crimes, including the Aug. 22, 2025 stabbing death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train.
That killing helped spur Iryna’s Law, which tightened bail rules, while newer cases kept pressure on the issue — including Charlotte suspect Di-Quan Schafar Hunt, arrested at least nine times since 2023.
Effler also pointed to a Charlotte homicide charge filed hours after a suspect’s bond release, a bat attack on a DoorDash driver in Jacksonville, and a Winston-Salem shooting near a middle school.
Roy Cooper’s campaign rejected Effler’s claim that the former governor backed cashless bail, citing his signing of stricter pretrial laws as the endorsement sharpened a central issue in North Carolina’s Senate race.