As my colleague and North Carolina girl Sister Toldjah has extensively covered, former governor and Democrat Senate candidate Roy Cooper has a decades-long political career which he has burnished by pretending to be an "Aww shucks," moderate Democrat, while governing as a far left ideologue. The man talks out of both sides of his mouth, and he is doing his utmost to talk his way into the U.S. Senate seat which RINO Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will vacate in January 2027.
Some of those lowlights during Cooper's two terms as governor include his soft-on-crime policies which granted early release to prisoners and convicted child rapists, especially during the COVID pandemic. Then there are the multiple releases of DeCarlos Brown Jr., the alleged murderer of Iryna Zarutska. Cooper issued a 2020 executive order which allowed Brown to keep getting released, up until Zarutska's horrific stabbing, which was caught on video. Then there are Cooper's anti-ICE/sanctuary policies which allowed illegal aliens to make their way to North Carolina and commit crimes which cost peoples' lives.
In a recent X post, Republican nominee for North Carolina Senate and former RNC co-chair Michael Whatley referenced one of those victims. On August 2, James Bagley, was run over and killed by illegal alien Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento. This illegal alien would have been detained by local law enforcement and turned over to ICE - but for the policies of Cooper and then-President Joe Biden.
James Bagley would still be alive today if not for Joe Biden and Roy Cooper. Their open border and sanctuary city polices allowed hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into NC - including Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento.
— Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNC) August 20, 2026
7 years ago this week Roy Cooper vetoed a bill to…
James Bagley would still be alive today if not for Joe Biden and Roy Cooper. Their open border and sanctuary city polices allowed hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into NC - including Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento.
7 years ago this week Roy Cooper vetoed a bill to force Sheriffs to honor ICE detainers and he will always fight harder for illegal immigrants than our families.
The Department of Homeland Security detailed the tragic tale of how Bagley's alleged killer, Mauricio Josue Alberto Sarmiento, was allowed to roam free:
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking officials in Jackson County, North Carolina to not release an illegal alien charged with hit-and-run resulting in death.
According to local reporting, the incident occurred on August 2 in Sylva, North Carolina. The victim, 51-year-old James Robert Bagley III, was struck by a vehicle shortly before three in the morning, with the driver fleeing the scene in their vehicle. Bagley was found unresponsive by first responders, who pronounced him dead at the scene.
[..]
ICE lodged a detainer with the Jackson County Jail the same day Sarmiento was arrested.
“This criminal illegal alien from Honduras has been charged with a felony and other crimes after a hit-and-run that killed a man in Sylva, North Carolina,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “If it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s disastrous open borders, James Bagley would still be alive. ICE is asking officials in Jackson County to cooperate and not release this criminal from jail without notifying ICE. By securing our border and deporting illegal aliens, we can save lives and prevent tragedies like this one from ever happening again.”
Sarmiento illegally entered the United States through Texas as an unaccompanied minor in October 2021, and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. The Biden Administration then reunified him with an unrelated sponsor, RELEASING him into the country.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a press release about two other victims of criminal illegals allowed to walk free thanks to Cooper's governance:
Roy Cooper vetoed legislation requiring sheriffs to work with ICE seven years ago today, protecting criminal illegals from deportation. Cooper caved to pressure from a left-wing dark money group to veto the legislation.
Cooper would veto two more bills requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.
North Carolinians like Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza paid the price when a criminal illegal killed them despite his long rap sheet.
Because of Cooper's left-wing policies, there are many more tragic stories like these.
"For 40 years, radical leftist Roy Cooper fought to protect criminal illegals, including murderers and rapists turning North Carolina into a sanctuary state," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary.
Cooper was governor in October 2021. No doubt he was already making plans to take over the North Carolina Senate seat; so, most of his moves involved amping up his leftist street cred in preparation for a national run. Whatley let him have it here in an "anniversary" message:
7 years ago, Roy Cooper chose illegal aliens over the people of North Carolina when he vetoed a bill that would force Sheriffs to honor ICE detainers.
— Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNC) August 21, 2026
Happy Anniversary, Roy. You wouldn't even deport an illegal alien who killed a 6 year old girl.
Cooper will always fight… pic.twitter.com/WVx2Faa1nV
7 years ago, Roy Cooper chose illegal aliens over the people of North Carolina when he vetoed a bill that would force Sheriffs to honor ICE detainers.
Happy Anniversary, Roy. You wouldn't even deport an illegal alien who killed a 6 year old girl.
Cooper will always fight harder for criminals and illegal aliens than the people of North Carolina - despicable.
Cooper is relying on the short memory of voters, but Whatley is going hard in the paint to remind them of Cooper's leftist penchants and terrible governance. It would be a crime if Cooper is allowed to serve on the national level. Literally, the lives of North Carolinians - and all Americans - are at stake.
Roy Cooper’s decision to release thousands of criminals - including pedophiles, rapists and murderers - was the most reckless and dangerous decision ever made by a North Carolina Governor.
— Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNC) July 24, 2026
He is a disgrace.
pic.twitter.com/G1fgTpqpHP
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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