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2026 Candidates for U.S. Senate Address the Issues

Cooper, Whatley speak on Social Security, caregiving, fraud

Elaine S. Povich

AARP Bulletin

Published September 01, 2026

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North Carolina voters will choose a new senator on Election Day, Nov. 3, replacing incumbent Thom Tillis (R), who opted not to run for a third term.

Republican Michael Whatley worked as a legal counsel to U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R) in 2000. He was a deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Energy Department under President George W. Bush (R). While serving as chair of the state GOP, he was elected chair of the Republican National Committee in 2024, a job he resigned to run for the Senate. Democrat Roy Cooper previously was governor but was term-limited and could not run again. He also served in the North Carolina House and the state Senate. He was the state attorney general for four terms.

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Both candidates addressed issues important to older Tar Heels. Their written answers and questions were edited for clarity and space.

How would you work to protect and strengthen Social Security for older Americans, their children and grandchildren?

COOPER: Older North Carolinians spent their careers working hard, paying into the system and playing by the rules, believing they would have Social Security when they retire. Today, [some in Congress] are undermining it at every turn to give tax breaks to the wealthy. We must protect and strengthen Social Security for current recipients and future generations, and in the U.S. Senate, I’ll work with anyone I can to do just that.

WHATLEY: My top priority for Social Security will always be to preserve and protect [it] for North Carolina’s seniors. I will not support any efforts that take away anything from what is owed to the good people who have paid into this program. Congress must work in a bipartisan way to ensure the system’s solvency. If Congress gets to work now, we can have a serious conversation on strengthening the program without hurting those who rely on it.

How would you help family caregivers save money and time so they can continue caring for their loved ones?

COOPER: Taking care of loved ones is demanding, important work. Elected leaders should work to make it easier for caregivers. As governor, I created a comprehensive “All Ages, All Stages” initiative to support older people and the caregiving workforce. As part of my “Make Stuff Cost Less” plan, I’ll work to expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to support families caring for loved ones, put money back in people’s pockets and ensure family caregivers and older adults have the support they need.

WHATLEY: I have elderly parents with significant health challenges, and our family knows this issue in a personal way. I support expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to reimburse family caregivers part of the cost of caring for their loved ones. Two million North Carolina caregivers could benefit from similar programs.

I would support the Credit for Caring Act, which would provide caregivers an additional tax incentive for the care they provide to help ease the financial burdens these challenges often place on families.

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Older consumers lose tens of billions of dollars to fraud yearly from a range of scams. What will you do to combat fraud and help protect Americans’ savings?

COOPER: As attorney general and governor, I took on con artists and big corporations that were ripping off families and scamming our seniors. I shut down scams and got refunds for North Carolina consumers, including seniors, and stopped predatory behavior to help protect their savings. Seniors are especially vulnerable to financial scams, and we must do more to warn them and strengthen banking protections so they can retire safely. In the U.S. Senate, I would strengthen the Federal Trade Commission and prosecutors who will protect older consumers from thieves looking to rip them off.

WHATLEY: Protecting older Americans from fraud requires stronger enforcement, better education and improved coordination between government, financial institutions and technology companies. I support efforts to aggressively investigate and prosecute scammers, particularly transnational criminals that specifically target our seniors. I support the [Foreign] Robocall Elimination Act, which would target, combat and hopefully degrade illegal robocalls that come from outside the U.S. to victimize our seniors. At the same time, we also need to expand fraud awareness to help consumers recognize and avoid these increasingly complex and commonplace scams before they become victims.

Older adults say they want to remain in their homes and communities as they age. What steps can be taken to expand housing, transportation and access to home care—especially in rural areas—to help them live independently?

COOPER: Older adults deserve to live with independence and have access to all the care and support that they need where they want it, including housing, transportation and access to home care. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll work to make housing more affordable by pushing to build more homes and by eliminating unnecessary rules and encouraging policies that make homes accessible. I support expanding transportation and infrastructure and boosting access to home care and accessible health care so that North Carolina is the most welcoming place for seniors to age.

WHATLEY: This is a critical issue in North Carolina, which has a significant rural population. Despite the challenges in rural health care, [there was opposition] to the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation last year which included $50 billion to improve rural health care. I fully support these critical provisions.

I will advocate for increasing access to home- and community-based services, particularly in rural areas where provider shortages create additional barriers.

Leveraging telehealth, remote patient monitoring technologies and flexible service delivery models can further help older adults have access to the care they need and maintain their independence.

Americans pay into Medicare throughout their lives—in taxes and premiums—and it provides them with vital health coverage. If elected, what would you do to strengthen and protect Medicare?

COOPER: When I was governor, North Carolina made enormous progress on health care. I built a bipartisan coalition around the state, successfully bringing health care to hundreds of thousands of working people by expanding Medicaid. I’ll use that same problem solving in Washington to work against federal cutbacks to Medicare; work to expand Medicare benefits to include dental, vision and hearing coverage; and require Medicare to broaden negotiations with drug makers to make more prescription medicines affordable. As Senator, I will work with anyone I can to stand up to attacks on health care and make health care more affordable.

WHATLEY: I am strongly committed to protecting and strengthening Medicare for current and future beneficiaries. Congress must work in a bipartisan way to ensure its solvency.

Medicare lost $56.7 billion in fiscal year 2025, including to fraud, waste and abuse. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar stolen from seniors and limits their access to quality care. For this reason, I support new guidelines to eliminate illegal aliens from receiving your Medicare dollars and to stop people from fraudulently filing claims in multiple states.

If elected, what else would you do to improve the lives of older Americans and their families?

COOPER: Across North Carolina, older people and their families are hurting, getting squeezed at the grocery store, on their utility bills, on health care costs that are too high and keep going up. It just shouldn’t be this hard for regular people to get by.

I am running to make stuff cost less for North Carolinians and will take on the big corporations and insurance companies ripping off older adults so people in our state can live, work and retire here with dignity. In the Senate, what’s best for the people of North Carolina will be my complete and total focus.

WHATLEY: I supported the “No Tax on Social Security” provision of the Working Families Tax Cut last year. This legislation expanded the senior tax credit by more than $6,000 for a single filer. When these deductions are added together, the average senior that files a single tax return will see a nearly $24,000 decrease in their taxes, and a married couple will see nearly a $47,000 decrease in their taxes this year alone.

This is keeping more of your money that you earned. I will fight to make these senior tax deductions permanent.

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Elaine S. Povich is a Maryland resident and freelance journalist who has reported for newspapers, including Newsday and the Chicago Tribune, and for various magazines.

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