共和党候选人在周二北卡罗来纳州初选前发出煽动性竞选信息
作者：查尔斯·克里茨
福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年3月4日 美国东部时间上午9:26
北卡罗来纳州共和党参议院候选人迈克尔·惠特利周二初选前将矛头对准其主要民主党对手，将前州长罗伊·库珀与去年导致乌克兰移民伊琳娜·扎鲁茨卡在夏洛特公交系统被刺死的相关条件联系起来。
2025年8月22日，34岁的德卡洛斯·德胡安·布朗（Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr.）被指控在梅克伦堡县东西大道轻轨站附近，在扎鲁茨卡乘坐火车时将其刺死。
批评者称，库珀2021年就新冠疫情监狱条件与民权组织达成的和解协议，与布朗获释有关。
惠特利的竞选团队在周二选举前向媒体发布的消息中，将其胜选派对新闻邀请函标题定为”德卡洛斯·布朗初选之夜不会出现的地方详情”。
“提示：他不会出现在夏洛特Noble Smoke酒吧的迈克尔·惠特利初选之夜胜选派对上，”新闻稿中写道。
在结尾处，惠特利竞选团队发起另一轮猛烈抨击，称”不，我们不确定罗伊·库珀释放的所有恋童癖者、强奸犯和杀人犯是否会出席库珀派对，但我们敢打赌，那些同样的恋童癖者、强奸犯和杀人犯就在库珀阵营里。”
帕姆·邦迪抨击民主党拒绝在国情咨文演讲中为被谋杀难民的悲痛母亲发声
库珀竞选团队发言人周二向福克斯新闻数字版回应了惠特利的指责。
“这些共和党人的攻击是虚假的——罗伊·库珀是唯一一位在其职业生涯中起诉暴力犯罪者并将数千名暴力犯罪者关押在狱的候选人，他在担任总检察长期间签署了打击犯罪的法律和更严格的审前释放保释政策，”发言人表示。
“华盛顿内部说客迈克尔·惠特利急于转移公众对其支持削减执法力量使北卡罗来纳州民众安全系数降低的注意力，”他们补充道。
惠特利和库珀周二分别赢得各自的初选，将对决退休参议员汤姆·蒂利斯（R-N.C.）的继任者职位。
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周二早些时候，蒂利斯在参议院司法委员会听证会上也对国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆发起猛烈抨击，批评她在飓风海伦肆虐北卡罗来纳州西部后对联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）的处理。
在扎鲁茨卡案中，联邦交通管理局（FTA）局长马克·莫利纳罗指责该州最大城市公交系统存在”系统性失败”，引用报告显示该系统内犯罪率高于全国平均水平。
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查尔斯·克里茨是福克斯新闻数字版记者。
他于2013年加入福克斯新闻，担任撰稿人和制作助理。
查尔斯负责报道福克斯新闻数字版的媒体、政治和文化新闻。
他是宾夕法尼亚州本地人，毕业于天普大学，获广播新闻学士学位。新闻线索可发送至charles.creitz@fox.com。
Whatley links Cooper to transit killing, accuses Dem of freeing ‘rapists and murderers’
Republican candidate sends provocative campaign message ahead of Tuesday’s North Carolina primary election
By Charles Creitz
Fox News
Published March 4, 2026 9:26am EST
North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley took aim at his top Democratic opponent ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, tying former Gov. Roy Cooper to the conditions he says led to the stabbing death of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s transit system last year.
On Aug. 22, 2025, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, is accused of stabbing Zarutska to death near the East West Boulevard light rail station in Mecklenburg County as she rode the train.
Critics say Cooper’s 2021 settlement with civil rights groups over COVID-19 prison conditions is connected to Brown being released from custody.
In a message to the media ahead of Tuesday’s election, Whatley’s campaign titled its victory party press invitation “Deets on where DeCarlos Brown will not be on primary night.”
Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper stand together in a photo.(Angela Weiss/AFP | Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu/Getty Images)
“Hint: Not at Michael Whatley’s primary night victory party at Noble Smoke in Charlotte,” the release read.
At the bottom, the Whatley campaign launched another broadside, writing that “no, we don’t know for sure if all the child molesters, rapists, and murderers released by Roy Cooper will be at the Cooper party, but we bet those same child molesters, rapists, and murderers are in the Cooper camp.”
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A Cooper campaign spokesperson fired back at Whatley in comments to Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“These Republican attacks are false — Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general and signing tough-on-crime laws and a stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor,” the spokesperson said.
“DC insider lobbyist Michael Whatley is desperate to distract from his support for cuts to law enforcement that make North Carolinians less safe,” they added.
Whatley and Cooper won their respective primaries on Tuesday and will face off to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
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Earlier Tuesday, Tillis launched his own broadside against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, criticizing her handling of FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated western North Carolina.
In the Zarutska case, FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro blamed “systemic failures” within the transit system of the state’s largest city, citing reports showing crime onboard is higher than the national average.
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Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
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