Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley’s campaign has no future broadcast-television ads booked in North Carolina, a striking gap with less than three weeks until Election Day and early voting underway. Whatley’s last broadcast ad aired about a week before Oct. 14, according to ad-tracking data. His campaign said the break is temporary and promised a closing message, while insisting it has the resources to win. The pause comes as Republican-aligned groups retreat from a race that party strategists increasingly view as difficult. The Senate Leadership Fund stopped spending in North Carolina earlier this month, and other GOP groups, including Old North Action, have also pulled back. The advertising figures show the scale of the challenge: Cooper’s campaign has $7.4 million in future television reservations, with Democratic outside groups holding another $11.2 million. Republican outside groups have $4.7 million reserved, leaving Democrats with nearly four times as much planned TV spending, based on AdImpact data. Whatley spokesperson DJ Griffin described the pause as temporary and said the campaign would return with a closing message. Griffin added that the ad may ask why Cooper “refuse[s] to answer basic questions about his health and ability to serve in the U.S. Senate.” Cooper’s campaign rejected the criticism. Spokesperson Kate Smart said the health claims were false, adding that Cooper has held more than 350 campaign events and is in excellent health. Cooper, a former North Carolina governor, has said he will serve a full Senate term. The race is a test of whether Democrats can flip a seat as they seek control of the Senate. Cooper has repeatedly led Whatley in public polling and fundraising. Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair and President Donald Trump’s chosen nominee, faces a Democrat who has previously won statewide. “It was always going to be a tough seat for Rs to hold,” said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican strategist from North Carolina. He cited Trump’s low polling numbers and Cooper’s record as a statewide candidate, saying the spending pullback was predictable. Democratic outside groups have also begun shifting resources away from North Carolina, with the Senate Majority PAC pausing some of its spending as it redirects money toward other competitive races. Still, the sharp imbalance in reserved TV ads leaves Cooper’s side with a substantially larger presence planned for the final stretch.