A Republican super PAC is taking aim at former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for the Senate, accusing the Democrat of being soft on crime after the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian immigrant on a Charlotte train, the Washington Examiner reports.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a group aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launched a new digital ad Wednesday marking two months since the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska.
The ad asserts that the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., was one of many "violent criminals arrested and released, repeatedly, under Roy Cooper's watch."
The ad, which will run primarily in the Charlotte area, includes a montage of news coverage of the killing and highlights Cooper's 2020 executive order to "reimagine public safety."
The order, issued after the George Floyd protests of 2020, created a task force on racial equity in criminal justice, but its recommendations were not released until months after Brown completed his prison term for armed robbery.
"Roy Cooper's failed tenure as governor put all North Carolinians at risk and fostered an environment where violent criminals like Decarlos Brown roamed freely as innocent bystanders paid the price," Alex Latcham, the fund's executive director, said in a statement.
"While it's been two months since Iryna Zarutska's tragic passing, North Carolinians must never forget what he took from us," Latcham added.
Brown, who has a lengthy criminal record and a history of mental illness, is accused of fatally stabbing Zarutska aboard the Lynx Blue Line in August. He faces state murder charges and federal charges for committing an act causing death on a public transportation system.
Court documents and media reports indicate that Brown had been homeless and struggled with untreated mental health problems for months before the attack.
Cooper's campaign has rejected the accusations, pointing out that the former governor signed the state's Pretrial Integrity Act into law, tightening bail procedures and limiting judicial discretion in releasing those accused of violent crimes.
Cooper, who is running for the Senate next year, is expected to face Michael Whatley, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, in the general election.
The ad underscores a broader Republican effort to tie Cooper to rising public concerns over violent crime and criminal justice reform. These attacks have been echoed by Whatley and former President Donald Trump, who accused Cooper of enacting policies that endangered citizens.
Cooper's defenders argue that his criminal justice initiatives aimed to balance public safety with fairness, while critics say they weakened enforcement and emboldened repeat offenders. The debate reflects a national divide between calls for reform and demands for tougher policing.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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