NC Gov. Roy Cooper in DNC speech: 'Kamala will fight for you'

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper was the final speaker at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night in Chicago, Illinois, before Vice President Kamala Harris gave her acceptance speech.

Cooper was once thought to be among Harris’ potential running mates, but he opted out of the vetting process, saying it wasn’t the “right time” for him to join a national ticket. But he’s continued to be a strong advocate for Harris, whom he’s known since they both served as state attorneys general.

Cooper spoke about his work with Harris during her time as California’s attorney general. He said she refused to accept a $4 billion settlement proposal with big banks over the foreclosure crisis.

“She went toe to toe with some of the world’s most powerful executives, and she refused to give in,” Cooper said Thursday. “Let me tell you, this was a huge risk, but she knew it was a risk worth taking. That’s Kamala, and we all know what happened. The banks caved. That $4 billion for California families became $20 billion.”

That anecdote led Cooper into a refrain of “Kamala will fight for you.”

“We got a lot of big fights ahead of us, and we’ve got one hell of a fighter ready to take them on,” Cooper said.

The governor will leave office at the end of the year, and he’s been mentioned as a possible Cabinet pick if Harris is elected.

Cooper’s prime speaking slot is another sign the Harris campaign is making North Carolina a big focus, and recent polls show she’s narrowing what was once a clear lead for Republican Donald Trump over President Joe Biden before he dropped out. The latest RealClearPolling average has Trump leading by just 1.2 percentage points in the state.

The party hasn’t won North Carolina since Barack Obama’s victory in 2008. Trump’s campaign is taking the state seriously this year, and the former president has held two rallies there in the past two weeks alone, including an event in Asheboro on Wednesday.

Earlier in Thursday evening’s DNC session, Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams spoke briefly. He’d been bumped from the speaker schedule earlier in the week due to time constraints, but spent a few minutes on the stage Thursday.

Williams credited the Biden administration’s lending programs with helping him and his wife, Zweli Williams, get the financing needed to open the first Zimbabwean restaurant in the country in Durham.

“The Biden-Harris administration helped make that a reality,” he said. “They helped make that dream come true for entrepreneurs like us. Now, thanks to small business grants and all of the help that we received from them, we now have three locations, and we employ nearly 30 employees with a living wage.”

Williams said Harris is “fighting to create an opportunity economy that can break down barriers for entrepreneurs like us, and as president, she will support risk takers and problem solvers who want to just do their part and claim their peace of the American dream.”

Other speakers from North Carolina on Thursday included Eric Fitts, a Wake County educator who met Biden earlier this year and shared Cook-Out milkshakes with the president, and NBA star Steph Curry, who’s a Charlotte native.