Former Republican National Convention chair Michael Whatley and former Governor Roy Cooper both secured their nominations as the Republican and Democratic candidates, respectively, to run for one of North Carolina’s two U.S. Senate seats. In the weeks leading up to and following the primary election, Whatley and Republicans have painted Cooper as someone who was “soft on crime” throughout his tenure as the state’s attorney general and governor.
These allegations against Cooper focus on specific policy decisions made during his governorship, particularly regarding inmate releases during the COVID-19 pandemic, his Racial Equity task force and vetoes of legislation targeting immigration and riots.
Whatley has continued targeting Cooper for his supposed lax approach to public safety, but a recent revelation within the North Carolina GOP has shown the opposite of what they say is the case.
Whatley, the former chairman of both the state and national Republican Party, is now at the center of a growing controversy after helping elevate Harvey L. West Jr. to a position of power. Whatley appointed West to oversee the GOP’s First Congressional District committee in the state’s eastern region, as well as to lead the influential Plan of Organization committee, which holds significant control over party rule making.
West, now 54, was a 28-year-old police officer in Washington, a small town in Beaufort County near the Outer Banks, when he was arrested in 1999 on charges of statutory rape involving three girls — two who were 14 and one who was 16. This charge is one of the state’s most serious felonies, defined as sexual intercourse with someone aged 15 or younger when the perpetrator is at least six years older, with no defense of consent.
West ultimately pled guilty to 16 lesser charges related to indecent liberties with a child and served six years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, he was also required to register as a sex offender in North Carolina for at least 10 years after his release. After serving his prison sentence, West regained his right to vote under North Carolina statute.
Despite his felony convictions and decade-long sex offender registry listing, West became involved in North Carolina’s Republican Party. Following his release, he quickly reentered local GOP leadership and was chosen as an alternate delegate for the 2012 Republican National Convention. However, once news about his criminal history resurfaced, he stepped down. Despite all this, West continued to operate behind the scenes, carving out a role for himself as a fundraiser in an emerging political landscape.
In 2018, when North Carolina began holding partisan elections for judicial offices, including appellate and state Supreme Court positions, West saw an opportunity to influence the race. Recognizing many judicial candidates were inexperienced in fundraising, he and his wife launched the annual Down East Judicial Picnic to raise money for these campaigns.
With backing from Whatley, current state GOP chair Jason Simmons, and prominent figures like Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby and Associate Justices Trey Allen and Philip Berger Jr., the event became a key fundraising stop and a major source of judicial campaign funds. Over time, West’s past faded from the public eye, and the few concerns raised by party members were quickly dismissed by Whatley and other allies, who maintained that West had served his sentence and should be given a fresh start.
In recognition of West’s growing influence, the 2025 fundraiser was rebranded as the North Carolina Judicial Picnic, showing the event had grown to have statewide significance. Held at West and his wife’s riverfront home near Albemarle Sound in Plymouth, the event featured Allen as master of ceremonies and attracted high-profile figures, including state Rep. Sarah Stevens, the GOP’s candidate for the state Supreme Court.
However, as the Epstein scandal drew national attention, concerns about West’s prominent role in the state party, which had previously been downplayed, began to surface more loudly. This all came to a head in January when the Dare County Republican Party hosted a candidate forum prior to the March 3 primary. West was asked to moderate the forum, as he is the most senior GOP leader in the area. Many voters were concerned with West moderating, particularly because the forum focused on school board candidates.
Amanda “Mandy” Haage Fuller wrote in the Outer Banks Insider that West moderating a forum for school board elections “was an odd/unsettling choice, as pointed out by many, for a forum that would deal with school children.” After the revelations regarding West’s past, some Republicans running for office were quick to denounce West – some even going as far to say he should resign from his position.
Teddy Daniels, a candidate for Dare County sheriff, made attacking West’s past the cornerstone of his campaign, even as he peddled dubious claims of close ties to President Trump. In a lengthy Facebook post on a local community page, Daniels condemned the notion that West had “served his time,” calling it a “dangerous lie.” He went further, stating that West’s continued involvement in public life was a “glaring failure” of the justice system.
While the criticism of West reignited scrutiny of his criminal history, it didn’t do much to boost Daniels’s political career as he ended up finishing dead last in the Republican primary.
In a meeting held March 7, the Mecklenburg County GOP introduced a proposed amendment to the governing charter for the party, appearing to target West specifically:
“[T]he North Carolina Republican Party, in its official Party Platform declares that the Party stands for ‘strong moral values’ [and] the commission or guilt for a felony sex crime raises serious questions about the moral values of any person convicted of such a crime…[N]o person who has pled guilty, nolo contendere to [no contest], or been convicted of any felony or serious crime should hold a leadership position at any level of the Party.”
The proposal was approved by an overwhelming majority of the Mecklenburg County GOP membership, and other county’s GOP offices are preparing similar resolutions targeting West and his past. Despite this, it remains unclear if this will lead to any change. Previous attempts to quietly remove West from leadership have failed.
Henderson County GOP activist Michele Woodhouse told the Asheville Watchdog she supported a resolution barring the state GOP from hosting official events at a “venue owned by a convicted felon.” However, Woodhouse said the resolution was effectively killed at the direction of Whatley, who is now the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
Whatley is attempting to pave his path to victory on the narrative that Gov. Roy Cooper is directly responsible for the death of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian refugee murdered on Charlotte’s light-rail train. The alleged killer, Decarlos Brown Jr. – a convicted felon with a documented history of mental health-related arrests – had been released early from prison. This was an action Republicans falsely tied to Cooper’s decision to release prisoners during the COVID pandemic to reduce overcrowding.
Whatley is pouring significant resources into attack ads accusing Cooper of being “soft on crime” and suggesting he has “blood on his hands” for Zarutska’s death. However, these attacks risk backfiring, as Whatley’s own connections to West – a known child sex offender – could become a point of contention, especially with the national spotlight on sex crimes in light of the Epstein files.
Woodhouse, the former chairwoman of the Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District, which includes Buncombe and Henderson counties, bluntly referred to Whatley’s ties to West as “the worst-kept secret in the Republican Party.”
The fallout from West’s involvement may extend beyond Whatley’s campaign. Several Republican candidates have received support from West, including Sarah Stevens, the GOP candidate for state Supreme Court, who is challenging incumbent Anita Earls. Stevens was photographed with West at his annual fundraising picnic last September.
Another race that could feel the ripple effects is the contest between Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina’s District 1 and Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout. The district drew national attention after it was redrawn by the Republican-controlled legislature at the behest of President Trump to flip it from Democratic to Republican.
While Davis faces a tough challenge, the controversy surrounding West’s ties to Republicans like Buckhout could work to his advantage. Buckhout attended West’s fundraiser last summer, and Davis is likely to raise the issue during the campaign.
Republicans in North Carolina now face their ultimate test when it comes to how to handle West and his deep roots within the modern North Carolina GOP. What will be their fate?