Citing Commitment to Lower Cost of Caregiving, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC Endorses Roy Cooper for Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC (CFFE PAC) announced its endorsement of former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in his bid to become North Carolina’s next senator, a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in what will be one of the most closely watched and competitive races in the country.

This endorsement reflects CFFE PAC's commitment to electing candidates who will make life more affordable by tackling the crippling cost of caregiving through investments in affordable child and elder care and paid family and medical leave. Securing a Democratic Senate majority is an essential first step to passing these policies to reduce the cost of care.

“Flipping this seat with a champion like Roy Cooper gives us one of our best opportunities to elect a Senate majority that will fight to lower the cost of care,” said Sondra Goldschein, Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. “Unlike his opponent, Governor Cooper has a proven record of strengthening North Carolina’s economy while making life more affordable for working people. He understands that families cannot get ahead while the costs of child care, groceries, and other essentials keep rising. As North Carolina’s next senator, Governor Cooper will fight to lower costs and ensure families do not have to choose between caring for a family member and putting food on the table.”

“Many working North Carolina families are struggling, as gas, grocery and child care prices continue to skyrocket,” said Roy Cooper. “While my opponent pushes and profits from utility rate hikes and higher prices that hurt working families, I am running to make stuff cost less. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll be a strong independent leader focused on making life more affordable by lowering the cost of food and groceries, health care, utilities, housing and child care.”

Throughout his career, Governor Roy Cooper has fought to make life healthier, safer and more affordable for North Carolinians. As governor, he secured bipartisan support to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 735,000 people and launched a program that has eliminated billions in medical debt. He also distributed nearly $745 million to more than 4,300 child care centers, helping them stay open, retain workers, and provide reliable care as parents returned to work. As attorney general in the midst of the foreclosure crisis, he helped negotiate a settlement that delivered more than $440 million in assistance to North Carolina homeowners. In every office he has held, Cooper has fought to lower costs and give working families greater financial security.

In contrast, Cooper’s opponent, DC insider and Big oil and utility company lobbyist Michael Whatley, has gotten rich at the expense of working North Carolinians, and has repeatedly backed policies that have made their lives more expensive. He led the charge with Washington Republicans as they refused to extend the ACA tax credits, doubling premiums for North Carolinians. He spent years lobbying in Washington for powerful energy interests, the very same that skyrocketed North Carolinians’ utility bills.

North Carolinians want a senator who will put working families ahead of corporate interests. Nearly 75% of North Carolina families report struggling to afford their monthly expenses due to rising costs, demonstrating the urgency of sending leaders like Roy Cooper to the U.S. Senate to continue championing the needs of working people.

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC works to elect candidates who believe all people should be able to afford to care for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, we have run some of the largest electoral programs in battleground states to support candidates that are fighting for policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care, elder care and health care. We know how to effectively communicate about high costs and the economy in the way people actually think about it – emphasizing who is committed to lowering costs, and who isn’t. We use this insight to reach voters at the scale needed to have an impact, building support for candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to lowering the cost of caregiving.