‘He is our nominee’: Gov. Cooper, other Democratic governors express support for Biden after White House meeting

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Gov. Roy Cooper joined other Democratic governors from across the country Wednesday as they met with President Joe Biden amid the fallout from last week’s debate performance .

A spokesperson for Cooper said he did not travel to Washington for the meeting but attended virtually.

On Wednesday night, the North Carolina governor released a statement on social media after the meeting, reinforcing the party’s intention of moving forward with Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee this November.

“We had a good meeting with the President talking about what’s needed to win,” Gov. Cooper said. “Donald Trump is an existential threat to our democracy, and everyone in the room agreed that defeating him is imperative. President Biden told us he is definitely running for re-election, he is our nominee and we’ll continue doing everything we can to deliver North Carolina for him.”

The meeting comes after the White House denied a report in the New York Times that Biden told an ally he is considering whether to stay in the race. White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre also said Wednesday Biden “absolutely” will not step down.

Several other Democratic governors traveled to meet with Biden in person. Gov. Cooper is a former chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

“We’re in pretty uncharted territory here,” said Chris Cooper, an expert on state politics at Western Carolina University.

He pointed to Gov. Cooper’s key role in North Carolina as the Biden campaign has made the state a key priority this year after former President Donald Trump won it in 2016 and 2020.

“When it comes to Biden’s campaign here, it all runs through Roy Cooper. And, I think they expect Roy Cooper to perhaps be the one that can deliver the Tar Heel state for the Biden campaign and for the Democrats writ large,” said Chris Cooper.

Biden even suggested Friday he may tap Gov. Cooper for a job in his administration if he wins re-election. Cooper is term-limited as governor and cannot run for the position again this year.

Polling released Wednesday by CBS News and YouGov showed a shift in the battleground states collectively since the debate.

Last month, 50% of voters in battleground states chose Biden compared to 49% for Trump. The latest poll has 48% choosing Biden compared to 51% for Trump. The states in the poll include: North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia.

“(Trump has) had a little kind of boost up in numbers. But, like a ball that bounces, does it come back down, or is it something that stays up? Is it a more permanent effect? And, I think that’s what we don’t know the answer to,” said Chris Cooper.

The Biden campaign sought to put the focus on this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, releasing a new ad on Wednesday that airs in North Carolina and other battleground comparing former President Trump to a king.

“Nearly 250 years ago, America was founded in defiance of king, under the belief that no one is above the law, not even the president. Until now,” the narrator says in the ad.

Democrats in key races in North Carolina are weighing the potential impact of Biden’s continued candidacy as well.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Don Davis (D-NC 1st) called Biden’s debate performance “a disaster.”

“I believe people across the spectrum, they want in their candidate whether it’s a Democrat or Republican, somebody that’s gonna at least fight and they believe is fighting for them,” he said.

Davis is running for re-election in a district considered to be the only true toss-up in the southeastern United States and is among several that will ultimately determine the balance of power in Congress.

“Anytime anybody is speaking out now, I am surprised. I mean, nobody wants to be the first person to stab Julius Caesar, and anybody who is willing to even walk up to that line like Davis did,” said Chris Cooper.

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