Cooper, Whatley each report raising millions for US Senate campaigns to replace Tillis

Two of the candidates seeking to replace U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis next year have already raised millions of dollars, as of the end of September, their campaigns say.

Republican Michael Whatley raised nearly $6 million, according to his campaign.

“I am incredibly grateful for each and every donation to my campaign,” Whatley said in a news release. “This early support is a clear rebuke of Roy Cooper’s liberal agenda. North Carolinians are tired of his soft-on-crime policies, his failures on public safety, and his loyalty to Washington Democrats over the people of this state. In the Senate, I will be a true America First partner to President [Donald] Trump and deliver real results for North Carolina families.”

While Whatley framed his fundraising numbers as a rebuke of Cooper by voters, he also raised less than half as much as Cooper did.

Cooper brought in $14.5 million, his campaign said — claiming that no other U.S. Senate campaign in American history has raised as much money at this point in the race.

"Roy Cooper will always put North Carolinians first, and this record-breaking fundraising reflects a massive groundswell of support for our campaign,” said Jeff Allen, Cooper's campaign manager, in a news release. “This will be the most competitive race in the country, and we’re putting a people-powered organization together to flip this seat and send Roy Cooper to the Senate to lower costs and deliver for North Carolina families.”

The $14.5 million Cooper has raised since launching his campaign this summer includes the $3.4 million he raised in the first 24 hours alone, WRAL reported previously. Cooper's campaign said his donations came from supporters living in all 100 counties of the state.

Neither candidate's fundraising reports have yet to be publicly filed on the Federal Election Commission website, so it wasn't immediately possible to verify their claims or see who their biggest donors are.