In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper is the number three fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), the governor received $1,212,060 in total contributions and spent $472,591 between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. Cooper’s current term ends in 2025.
Gov. Cooper is a member of the Democratic Party and first assumed office in 2017.
Gov. Cooper’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2021)
Contributions to Gov. Cooper
Of the $1.2 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 14.2 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Gov. Cooper (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $115,385 | NC Democratic Leadership Committee | Entity |
| 2. | $11,200 | Catherine Morris | Individual |
| 3. | $6,100 | Mack B Pearsall | Individual |
| 4. | $5,700 | Jeanette W Hyde | Individual |
| 5. | $5,600 | Adam Silver | Individual |
| 6. | $5,600 | Adam Stein | Individual |
| 7. | $5,600 | Alana Craycraft | Individual |
| 8. | $5,600 | Amelia Kay Gach | Individual |
| 9. | $5,600 | Amy Susan Grissom | Individual |
| 10. | $5,600 | Ann L Campbell | Individual |
Expenditures by Gov. Cooper
On the expenditures side, Gov. Cooper reported $472,591, with 81.9 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list.
Top Expenditures by Gov. Cooper (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $185,451 | Nexus Strategies Inc | Entity |
| 2. | $74,222 | RWT Production LLC | Entity |
| 3. | $29,401 | Mariah Morgan | Entity |
| 4. | $28,300 | Battleaxe Digital LLC | Entity |
| 5. | $16,992 | Vantiv LLC | Entity |
| 6. | $12,275 | Windward Strategies Inc | Entity |
| 7. | $12,000 | Carla Marin | Entity |
| 8. | $10,962 | ADP as Depository for Payroll Taxes | Entity |
| 9. | $9,419 | Ces Mail Communications Inc | Entity |
| 10. | $8,442 | Act Blue | Entity |
How Gov. Cooper’s fundraising compares to other governors
Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. Here is how fundraising by North Carolina Gov. Cooper compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Fundraising reported by 11 U.S. governors in the 2022 election cycle
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active North Carolina PACs submitted to the NCSBE. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Semiannual | 1/28/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 Plus | 5/10/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 7/29/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 Plus | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 1/11/2023 |
| 2022 Year End Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 1/27/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.