Governor, other NC officials, got $206 Final Four tickets from UNC

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other top state elected officials had prime seats for the NCAA men’s Final Four and its historic semifinal between UNC-Chapel Hill and archrival Duke.

These officials paid $206 per ticket, well under what last-minute buyers had to shell out to get into the Superdome in New Orleans. They paid the same price again for UNC’s championship game two nights later. The tickets came from the University of North Carolina in what a university spokesman described as standard practice.

“We offered our elected officials the chance to purchase tickets, and they were seated in the same section as our chancellor and others from the university’s senior leadership team,” UNC athletics spokesman Steve Kirschner said in an email. “The elected officials paid for their tickets, airfare and hotel. We certainly are glad they were able to attend and cheer us on.”

Spokespeople for Cooper, who holds a pair of degrees from UNC, and others who attended said taxpayer dollars weren’t used for the trip. Cooper’s office took a week to address WRAL’s questions about the trip, then referred them to Cooper’s political consultant. The consultant, Morgan Jackson, declined to say who the governor met with in New Orleans, who he traveled with and whether he attended any fundraisers while there.

“The campaign paid for the governor’s travel and those expenses will be reported on the next campaign report,” Jackson said in a text message.

Speaker of the House Tim Moore, also a UNC alumnus, also attended. His spokeswoman said he covered his own costs.

Cooper and Moore each got four tickets, Kirschner said.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger got three tickets but didn’t attend games himself, according to spokeswoman Lauren Horsch. She declined to say who did.

Attorney General Josh Stein got four tickets, and so did House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, Kirschner said. Stein’s office said the attorney general “personally paid for his trip to New Orleans, including flights, hotel, meals and tickets; no taxpayer or campaign funds were used.”

Reives said he went with his family and didn’t use taxpayer or campaign funds either. He said he saw lots of acquaintances at the Superdome, which seated more than 70,000 people for the men’s Final Four. “I didn’t see it as exclusive,” he said.

Kirschner said ticket offers were also made to the majority and minority leaders in both the state House and Senate, to the Rules Committee chairmen in both bodies, to U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr and to U.S. Rep. David Price, whose district includes Chapel Hill.

“This followed the same offers to purchase as past Final Fours,” Kirschner said.

Cooper’s whereabouts are of particular interest these days, given the players in state executive offices.

Cooper is a Democrat, Robinson is a Republican, and they disagree on a wide range of issues.

Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said just how that would work is “muddy.” The constitution simply says that, when the governor is out of state, the lieutenant governor “shall be acting governor,” the same as if the governor was physically or mentally incapacitated.

“I think the governor remains the governor, while clearly there are some shades of gray with the constitution language,” Porter said.

Spokespeople for Robinson didn’t return messages seeking comment for this story.

The governor’s press office declined to provide an itinerary for Cooper’s trip, saying he didn’t have a state agenda for it. The governor told Spectrum News in an interview the day of the championship game that he held virtual meetings that day with his staff and cabinet.

The governor also had lunch that Monday with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, which was documented on Cooper’s twitter account.

The Tar Heels played Kansas in the championship, and Cooper and Kelly bet BBQ and steaks on the game. Like Cooper, Edwards and Kelly are Democrats, and Cooper chairs the Democratic Governors Association.