Why some Democrats think Roy Cooper is Kamala Harris' top VP pick
Many Democrats think North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is at or near the top of Vice President Kamala Harris' shortlist for a VP pick.
He’s never lost an election. He’s known Kamala Harris for years. And he’s a self-professed “diet soda sommelier” with a distaste for Diet Mountain Dew — the beverage Sen. JD Vance went viral for promoting in his first speech as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate.
“I just think that Cooper is a complete package,” said state Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue, who was also North Carolina’s first and only Black House speaker. “I don’t see any vulnerabilities — unless being a Southerner and talking a little slower might be a vulnerability in certain parts of the country.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is not an astronaut or household name like some others the vice president is considering for her running mate. But many Democrats think Cooper is at or near the top of Harris’ short list because he’d be a strong partner who could potentially deliver North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes.
“He’s kind of the ultimate team player,” said state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, the Democratic whip and a former Cooper aide. “James Carville once famously said that there are politicians who want to be something and politicians who want to do something. Roy Cooper has been someone who wants to do something for the people.”
The governor’s second term is up at the end of this year and term limits prevent him from running again, so Democrats would not risk losing anything by taking him out of state. And he’s not known to harbor presidential ambitions for himself, so he would be unlikely to try to overshadow Harris or use the job as a stepping stone.
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