The fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train has put a spotlight on former Gov. Roy Cooper’s record on criminal justice in the high-stakes North Carolina Senate race. 

Cooper, a Democrat, is facing Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). Crime has become a flashpoint in the race after the release of video footage showing Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, sitting unsuspectingly in front of her would-be killer before he stood up and brutally stabbed her on a commuter train.