EDENTON — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper took his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour to Edenton and Elizabeth City last week, telling residents at both stops that rising prices, food costs and health care bills are squeezing North Carolina families and that Washington needs to change.

Why write about Cooper’s visit? Answer: because it’s not every day that a former governor, now a US Senate candidate, gives a campaign speech in Edenton. Moreover, we’ve covered the Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Watley’s speech during this campaign cycle, so it’s only fair to give Cooper his due, too.

Last Thursday, Cooper was at The Homestead, a historic home on East Water Street in Edenton, telling a crowd of residents that he wants to ease the strain of rising prices and the growing struggle to afford food and health care.

Local candidates in attendance included Kristy LaLonde, candidate for Chowan County sheriff; District Court Judge Jenny Wells, who is running in Judicial District 1; Miriam Rollin, N.C. House; Kathleen Miglorie, Chowan County commissioner; and Darin Miglorie, Ollie Inglis and Sherronne Battle, all candidates for the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education.

Cooper spoke about people stretched thin. He described a teacher who had changed what she bought at the grocery store because her pay hadn’t kept up with food prices. He told of a mother on Medicaid whose child has cerebral palsy and who feared the coverage could disappear. He pointed to a Wilson County farmer watching diesel, equipment and fertilizer bills climb, costs Cooper tied to the war in Iran and to tariffs.

He also spoke of a recent graduate of North Carolina A&T State University who had landed a first job and still couldn’t get ahead. Rent, utilities and getting to work ate up the paycheck.

Cooper criticized the Trump administration for failing to address the cost of living, saying conditions have worsened despite promises to prioritize it. He said many people see the middle class as unattainable and wonder whether the American dream is dead. North Carolina families, he said, are increasingly finding that there’s “too much month at the end of the money.”

Cooper said he initially stepped away from politics after leaving the governor’s office. But growing concern over the chaos in Washington, where “two or three things were happening almost every day, any one of which we could talk about for hours, that weren’t right,” led him to reconsider. A Bible verse he often returns to, “To whom much is given, much is required,” also influenced his decision to run.

He told the crowd his approach to public service traces back to the two people who raised him and the jobs he held along the way.

Cooper’s mother taught public school in Eastern North Carolina, and he said she taught him early on what public education is worth. His father put him to work on the family farm every summer. That, Cooper said, is where he learned about hard work and dedication.

Before he ran for office, Cooper practiced law for 18 years. He served as his firm’s manager and handled its payroll, which he said gave him a firsthand look at the pressures facing small business owners.

He later won a seat in the state legislature and rose to majority leader of the state Senate. As attorney general, Cooper said he worked closely with law enforcement and advocated for seniors and children.

Cooper then served eight years as governor. He pointed to Medicaid expansion, which he said gave nearly 735,000 people access to affordable health care, along with his work on economic development.

Cooper said those experiences prepared him to take on the country’s biggest problems.

He stressed moral responsibility, transparency and independence, and took aim at his Republican opponent, telling the crowd that Whatley spent years in Washington, D.C., as a lobbyist for utility and oil companies.

Cooper said that history raises ethical questions. He said Whatley owns stock in companies he once lobbied for, giving him a direct financial stake in their success. When oil prices climb because of the war in Iran, Cooper said, Whatley stands to profit while families struggle to pay for gas and groceries. He also said Whatley puts politics ahead of public safety.

Cooper pointed to Duke Energy’s announced 18% rate increase. He said he spoke out against it publicly while Whatley stayed silent, even though, according to Cooper, Whatley had lobbied for the company’s ability to raise rates.

Cooper cast himself as the opposite. He said he would be a strong, independent senator who does what’s right no matter which party or president is pushing the other way. He said he does not own individual stocks and, if elected, would hold only widely diversified mutual funds, which he said goes beyond what the law requires and would help him avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Restoring trust in government, Cooper said, takes leaders who act with decency and moral clarity, not just those who stay within the law.

On Friday, Cooper brought the tour to Elizabeth City, where he told residents he would work to lower everyday costs for North Carolina families if elected. He said rising prices at the gas pump, the grocery store and on utility bills are making the American dream harder to reach for working families.

Alvin Boone, pastor of Melton Grove Baptist Church, is a past president of the Ordination Council and the Perquimans County Fellowship. He is also a member of the NAACP and the Roanoke Ministerial Alliance.

“As prices skyrocket, my congregation is hurting,” Boone said. “Families are literally having to choose between medicine and food — it should never be this way. While DC insider Michael Whatley pushes for policies hurting families and grows even richer, Roy Cooper knows we need to make stuff cost less. Roy is a man of faith who will work with anyone to get stuff done for the people here in Elizabeth City and across North Carolina.”

Yolanda Brooks, a social worker and therapist, offered a similar view.

“The people I serve in my community are feeling the weight of rising costs,” Brooks said. “From health care to groceries to child care, everyday people here are making tough decisions to try and make ends meet. Roy Cooper has always looked out for working people and will continue that work as our next Senator. While Big Oil and utility lobbyist Michael Whatley lines his own pockets at the expense of working people, Roy is fighting to make stuff cost less.”

At both stops, Cooper said he was encouraged by the growing number of first-time attendees at political events, people of all political affiliations who feel compelled to act out of concern for their families and the country’s future. He described himself as a “prisoner of hope,” saying he believes collective action can make the country better for future generations.

He thanked supporters for their financial contributions and their volunteer work, including door-to-door canvassing and community conversations.

Cooper stressed that the Senate race is highly competitive and that people must not take it for granted, especially with increasing outside spending. He urged supporters to stay vigilant and active. He said his campaign is funded by small-dollar donations, with 95% of contributions at $100 or less and an average of $36, contrasting that with $100 million in outside spending against him by Republican groups.

Cooper also called for voting “all the way down the ballot” so that every level of government reflects the people’s voice. He urged support for candidates including Justice Anita Earls, who is seeking re-election to the North Carolina Supreme Court, and U.S. Rep. Don Davis, who is running in the 1st Congressional District, along with other judicial, congressional and legislative candidates.