Grieving Father Says GOP-Aligned Super PAC Misled Him Into Anti-Cooper Ad

A grieving North Carolina father says a Republican-aligned super PAC misled him into a campaign ad that fact-checkers say falsely tied Roy Cooper to his son’s murder.

Story Snapshot

Ronald Hayes says he thought he was filming an anti-violence message, not a partisan attack.
FactCheck.org found the ad’s core link to Roy Cooper was false and unsupported.
The Senate Leadership Fund is funding a large ad blitz against Cooper this summer.
The case highlights how emotional stories get used to sell shaky political claims.

What The Ad Claimed And Why It Is Contested

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican-aligned super political action committee, released an ad tying former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to violent crime. The message said Cooper’s decision to release thousands of inmates early gave violent offenders a second chance they did not deserve. FactCheck.org reported the ad falsely implied the accused killer in a highlighted case was released because of Cooper, and concluded Cooper had nothing to do with that release. The group framed its push as exposing Cooper’s crime record.

News coverage also tracked the money behind the message. The Senate Leadership Fund announced a $17 million summer ad campaign in North Carolina, with more spending pledged later in the cycle. Political spending on this scale often floods airwaves and social feeds. That volume can cement first impressions even when details are disputed. Voters who catch a single clip during a game or news break may never see a later correction that narrows or refutes the claim.

The Father’s Account Of How He Got In The Video

Ronald Hayes, whose son Shemar was killed, says he agreed to speak on camera because he believed the production was about gun violence awareness. He later learned the footage was used to attack Roy Cooper’s record. He told reporters he felt “swindled” by political operatives and would not have participated if he had known the real purpose. A separate outlet reported Hayes had “no idea” his story would be used for politics, reinforcing his account of the recruitment pitch.

His claim matters because it goes to consent and context. Families in pain often share their stories to warn others and push for safety. When a campaign weaponizes that grief to make a link that does not fit the facts, it crosses a line for many viewers. FactCheck.org’s finding that the ad built a false connection to Cooper supports Hayes’s concern that his story was repurposed for a narrative that does not match the record in the case.

How Emotional Ads Can Mislead Even Without False Words

Researchers and fact-check archives show a pattern: dramatic visuals and personal testimony can imply a cause that the hard facts do not support. Attack ads are more likely to contain inaccurate or misleading claims than advocacy spots. Fact-check collections over many cycles document how editing and framing can push viewers toward a wrong conclusion, even when a sentence in the ad is technically narrow or sourced. That gap between feeling and fact is where voters get steered off course.

This case fits that pattern. The super political action committee says it is highlighting a broader crime record. But the featured story invites viewers to connect one family’s tragedy to a specific policy choice by Cooper, which fact-checkers say does not apply in that case. That is the core risk with “just asking questions” style ads: the human story carries more weight than the legal timeline of who released whom, when, and why. The result is heat without light.

Why Both Sides Should Care About The Tactic

Conservatives frustrated by soft-on-crime policies want honest debate on safety. Liberals worried about overreach want facts to lead, not emotion alone. Both groups lose when big-money groups shape opinion by bending a victim’s story to fit a talking point. When trust breaks, real reforms stall. Voters then tune out, and the only winners are consultants buying more airtime with donor cash, while families like the Hayes family carry new pain they never asked for.

Ugh. North Carolina Senate campaign ad on ESPN!! North Carolina is playing, but stop! Now a Talarico ad.

— Mary Beth Gilbert (@KandRMom) August 29, 2026

Voters can respond in simple ways. First, slow down when an ad uses grief to make a claim. Second, check a reputable fact-check once per week during campaign season. Third, demand that campaigns and super political action committees correct the record when claims go too far. These small habits help keep power brokers honest. They also honor families who share their stories for safety, not for someone else’s win-at-all-costs strategy.