Bray and Dublin to Debate as Early Voting Opens; Cooper and Whatley Campaigns Never Responded to Invitations

Libertarian and Green Party U.S. Senate candidates will take voter questions live on Facebook, X, and YouTube on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 8, 2026 (RALEIGH) -- Two of the four candidates on North Carolina's ballot for U.S. Senate will debate live on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., the evening early voting opens statewide. Libertarian Shannon Bray and Green Party candidate Michael Dublin accepted invitations to the virtual debate. Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley were also invited. Neither campaign responded.

Ryan Rabah, co-founder of the We The People Party of North Carolina, will moderate. The candidates will take questions on the economy, healthcare, the war with Iran, tariffs, climate change, immigration, election integrity and voting rights, and other issues facing North Carolina.

The debate will stream live on the Libertarian Party of North Carolina's Facebook, X, and YouTube channels. Viewers can send questions during the livestream, and those who can't watch live can leave a question in the comments on the debate posts. Time permitting, the moderator may put viewer questions to the candidates at his discretion.

“Four candidates will be on every North Carolina ballot for U.S. Senate, and two of them agreed to stand in front of voters and answer their questions,” said Rob Yates, communications director for the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. “More North Carolinians are registered unaffiliated than as Republicans or Democrats, and that didn't happen by accident. For decades, voters have watched the two parties trade power while prices climbed, the debt climbed, and the answers stayed the same. Governor Cooper and Mr. Whatley were invited, and the invitation still stands. But this debate goes on Thursday night either way, because voters deserve to hear from everyone on their ballot.”

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, 3,160,539 of the state's 7,868,625 registered voters, or 40.2%, were unaffiliated as of Oct. 3. Unaffiliated voters outnumber registered Republicans and registered Democrats alike by more than 830,000; each major party accounts for 29.6% of registered voters. Counting Libertarian and Green Party members, more than 3.2 million North Carolinians, nearly 41% of the electorate, are registered outside the two major parties.

Bray, a Navy veteran and cybersecurity professional, has made digital privacy and government accountability the center of the campaign.

“I've spent my career securing systems that can't afford to fail,” said Bray. “When a system keeps failing, you don't keep reapplying the same two patches. You find the root cause. North Carolinians have been handed the same two patches for a long time. I'm glad Michael is showing up, and I'm ready to answer any question put to me. Anyone asking for your vote should be.”

Dublin, a public school educator and community activist, is running on what the campaign calls “People, Planet, and Progress.”

“As a teacher, I never accepted ‘I was too busy’ as a reason to skip the test,” said Dublin. “Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley are asking North Carolina for six years in the U.S. Senate, and neither campaign would even answer an invitation to spend 90 minutes with voters. Shannon and I disagree on plenty, and that's the point. People deserve a real debate about the war, the economy, and who this government actually works for, not two well-funded campaigns talking past each other in 30-second ads.”

Early voting runs from Oct. 15 through 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

DEBATE DETAILS

What: North Carolina U.S. Senate Debate

When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, 7:30–9 p.m. ET

Where: Online, streaming live at facebook.com/LPofNC, x.com/LPNC, and youtube.com/@lpnc

Debating: Shannon Bray (Libertarian) and Michael Dublin (Green)

Invited: Roy Cooper (Democrat) and Michael Whatley (Republican); neither campaign responded

Moderator Ryan Rabah, co-founder, We The People Party of North Carolina

Questions: Submit in the livestream chat or in the comments on the debate posts

The Libertarian Party of North Carolina is a recognized political party advocating individual liberty, civil rights, limited government, and fiscal accountability. Learn more at lpnc.org.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact Rob Yates at [email protected].

-END-

Libertarian Party of North Carolina
Libertarian Party of North Carolina (lpnc.org)

Ryan Brown
LPNC Chair
Libertarian Party of North Carolina
Ryan.B[email protected]

Rob Yates
Communications Director and Acting Press Secretary
Libertarian Party of North Carolina