Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign spent more than $250,000 on private security, according to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Fox News Digital. Republicans are using the spending to argue that Cooper’s approach to crime and public safety is inconsistent, while the article presents it as a developing campaign issue.

The records show spending of $277,312.28 on private security. Cooper is a leading Democratic contender in North Carolina’s Senate race, making the expenditure likely to feature in broader partisan arguments over crime, safety and campaign security.