Roy Cooper bows out of veepstakes

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who grew close to Kamala Harris when they both served as their states’ attorney general, has withdrawn from contention to become her vice presidential nominee.

Cooper’s exit from the veepstakes was confirmed by three people briefed on the development and granted anonymity to discuss it. Two Democrats close to Cooper cited three factors: His desire to potentially run for Senate, his age and fears that North Carolina’s divisive Republican lieutenant governor would take over each time Cooper traveled out of state.

Harris’ team is looking at Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Others in the mix include Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Although Cooper was initially at the top of some Democrats’ lists for potential running mates, the governor was never vetted and sent word to Harris’ team that he did not want to be considered a week ago, according to a person familiar with the governor’s thinking and granted anonymity to describe private conversations. This person cited fears that Robinson could mount a legal challenge over executive authority during Cooper’s absences, based on the state’s constitution, as the primary reason for Cooper’s decision, rejecting age as a factor.

“From the get go, he was not a candidate for this,” the person added.

Cooper, 67, built his reputation as a moderate Democrat over decades serving in North Carolina politics, running multiple successful campaigns in an environment that was favorable to Republicans. Cooper, who is in his final term as governor, outperformed President Joe Biden by 6 points in 2020.

Cooper rose through the state legislature, and before being elected governor for the first time in 2016, he served as attorney general for 16 years. That's where he got to know Harris in her capacity as California attorney general.

Cooper’s withdrawal was first reported by The New York Times .

His signature legislative achievement was expanding Medicaid in 2023 after nearly a decade of GOP opposition, providing health insurance to half a million low-income North Carolinians.

Cooper has squared off with the GOP legislature over hot-button issues like guns and abortion rights, repeatedly clashing with the Republican supermajority that has overridden a number of his vetoes and tried to limit his power.

Amid the vice presidential selection process, Cooper, like the other candidates considered by the campaign, attacked Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance , calling him a Trump "mini-me" and criticizing his past comments on abortion and women.

"Those things are not going to play well in North Carolina or anywhere across the country," Cooper said last week .

Cooper joining the ticket would have posed an unusual wrinkle for North Carolina's highly competitive gubernatorial race. Under the state constitution, when the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the role of acting governor.

That means every time Cooper hits the campaign trail, Mark Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who serves as lieutenant governor, gets to briefly try on the job, introducing an awkward scenario for Democrats. Many feared that Robinson could not only derive political benefit but also take actions that they deeply opposed.

Meanwhile, other potential running mates made the case for Harris — and, by default, themselves — in recent days on TV and the trail. Shapiro campaigned for Harris in the Philadelphia suburbs on Monday along with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Shapiro said that Harris had been a "tough as nails" prosecutor who took on polluters, opioid manufacturers and big banks. "She's not only ready, she's damn ready," he said. “Donald Trump knows she’s ready. And you know how I know this? Because he’s afraid to debate her now.”

Liz Crampton contributed to this report.