THERESA OPEKA
Carolina Journal
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper was recently named as a possible replacement for President Joe Biden if he decides to no longer run for re-election in November, but now Cooper is being considered as the first choice as a running mate for Vice-President Kamala Harris if she were to become the nominee.
According to a report in The New York Times, the Biden-Harris campaign has listed Cooper, along with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, as candidates, with Cooper as the top choice.
All three were also mentioned as possible replacements for Biden on the ticket last week.
The campaign is said to be looking for a moderate white man to appeal to voters, a striking departure for Democrats who have focused on diversity and identity politics for years.
Cooper has more appeal than the others, as published reports noted that he has had a personal connection with Harris. The two worked together while they served as state attorneys general, he in North Carolina and she in California.
He has also won re-election twice, outperforming other Democrats on the ticket and working alongside a Republican-led legislature since he took office in 2016.
More, the state saw a split ticket in the last two presidential elections, with president going Republican while Democrats have held the governor’s mansion.
He would also appeal to those in the South, and with Cooper as a vice-presidential candidate, Democrats believe the state could be flipped.
Cooper is being hailed as a moderate Democrat, despite his record in office, highlighted by his 102nd veto on Monday.
In his proposed state budget earlier this year, Cooper also called for a moratorium on taxpayer-funded private school vouchers and said the money should instead be directed to public schools.
Cooper declared a “State of Emergency” for public education in May 2023, with a red banner across the top of the governor.nc.gov website that would normally be dedicated for true emergencies such as hurricanes. He has been against school choice, including Opportunity Scholarships, which are designed to enable families to choose a private school education for their children.
A record-breaking 72,000 applications were received for the program this year.
Cooper appeared with Biden at a rally in Raleigh the day after his disastrous debate with Trump, which incited calls for the president to drop out of the race on account of failing mental faculties. Democratic Attorney General and candidate for governor Josh Stein was also in attendance.
But for the moment, all of the speculation may be for naught. On Monday, Biden sent a defiant letter to Congressional Democrats stating that he had no intentions of stepping down from the ticket.
In the letter, Biden said that over the past ten days, he has had extensive discussions with the Democratic Party leadership, elected officials, rank-and-file members, and voters, hearing their fears and worries about what is at stake in the election. He said he has taken great strength from the support of many Democrats in Congress and voters across the country.
A primetime interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last week did nothing to quell Democrats’ fears that he is not capable of being in office for another four years.
North Carolina, which has 16 electoral votes, is crucial in winning the White House. The latest polls for North Carolina suggest that things are getting worse for Biden in his rematch with Trump.
According to fivethirtyeight.com, an aggregate of polling, Trump is leading with 44.9% to Biden’s 38.6%, a 6.4 % lead.
Realclearpolling.com has Trump with 47.8% to 42% for Biden, a 5.8% difference.
First Lady Jill Biden flew solo in Wilmington at the launch of Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris, a national organizing program led by the First Lady.
Harris is scheduled to visit Greensboro on Thursday for the Biden-Harris campaign. There is currently no word on when and where the event will be or if Cooper or Stein will appear with her.
This will be her sixth visit to North Carolina this year and her 14th since taking office.
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