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10 reasons why N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper could be VP
Political analysts all have their favorite signs for determining who is certain to vote. Mine has long been political signs
And on the byways of North Carolina, across the 5,000+ miles I drove this spring, there were many more signs for Donald Trump than Joe Biden.
From homemade with heart to digital with delight — like this reel on Instagram that has gone viral as it was amplified by news outlets — the signs of those certain to vote is shifting with the news that President Joe Biden has left the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
But first of all, here is how you say Kamala, according to this tweet from when she was running for U.S. Senate in 2016.
Harris has long been for schools and affordable child care, as you can see in the video.
I don’t know if we will see handmade, homemade signs for Harris the way we do for Trump in North Carolina, but there are signs, and the kinds of signs that matter in this race now may be different than when Biden was at the top of the Democratic ticket.
The New York Times and news outlets around the world are reporting on the “fandom” behind Harris.
The coconut tree emojis you see all over the internet reference a story Harris tells of her mother asking her and other children if they think they just fell out of a coconut tree.
Beyoncé’s fans, known as the BHive, and Harris’s fans, known as the KHive, will now dance together to the campaign’s song, “Freedom” by Beyoncé.
Charlie XCX tweeted after the news broke: “kamala IS brat.” The tweet now has more than 330,000 likes. The Harris campaign leaned into the momentum, and Harris just launched her own TikTok account.
And the “Divine 9” — the Black sororities and fraternities — are poised to unite their support. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and an article in The New York Times notes, “the more than two million members of Black Greek-letter organizations who have quickly united to mobilize Black voters nationwide.”
North Carolina’s delegates came on board quickly for Harris, Mamas for Kamala has its roots in North Carolina, and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is now on a short list for vice president, a decision news outlets are reporting will be made by Aug. 7, 2024.
Cooper says Harris has been to North Carolina 15 times as vice president, and that he has met with her every visit.
If he is chosen, Cooper could shift the momentum for this election across North Carolina.
Here are 10 reasons why Cooper could be Harris’s pick for vice president.
Cooper is a man, white, moderate, electable — and “steady” — in a swing state
The last time a North Carolinian was on the ballot as vice president was when John Edwards ran with John Kerry in 2004.
The Harris campaign can leverage Trump’s choice of J.D. Vance, model diversity, and appeal to a broader swath of voters by choosing a male, white, moderate running mate.
According to the governor’s website, “Governor Cooper appointed the most diverse cabinet in North Carolina history, making good on his commitment to ensure state government looks like the people it serves.”
Cooper has had a long political career in North Carolina, serving in the N.C. House from 1987-91, then in the N.C. Senate from 1991-2001, before being elected attorney general in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. He was elected governor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.
He has been married to his wife, Kristin, since 1992, and they have three children. In addition to being a mom, Cooper says Kristin is “a fine attorney, campaigner, guardian ad litem, and community volunteer.”
Cooper likes to be seen and is seen as “steady.”
“He has led the state with a steady hand throughout a series of unprecedented crises. After hurricanes devastated parts of North Carolina, Governor Cooper established the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency and fought for resources to help North Carolina recover smarter and stronger. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Governor Cooper’s decisive action and steady leadership helped North Carolina endure with among the fewest COVID deaths and job losses per capita in the nation.”
Gov. Cooper’s website
“Governor Cooper has a lot of heart,” says Mary Bailey, a school counselor in Burke County.
Cooper is a rural leader
Cooper grew up in Nashville where he attended public schools in rural Nash County. He worked on the family farm in summer.
His is a lifelong commitment to rural North Carolina with recent evidence of ongoing support for rural people and places.
In March, Harris and Cooper joined the N.C. Rural Center in announcing $90 million in venture capital funding focused on communities that have been denied resources in the past.
Just in June, the Governor’s Office announced 20 grants to rural communities to attract 394 new jobs and over $474 million in investment, according to this press release.
Picking Cooper wouldn’t cut short his state leadership
Cooper’s term as governor ends this year, unlike others on the short list.
Andy Beshear, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, serves until December 2027. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, serves until January 2027.
Cooper is known for his cross-partisan leadership
From Medicaid expansion to myFutureNC’s attainment goal to playing lead cheerleader for the state in recruiting industry to North Carolina, Cooper’s cross-partisan leadership is well documented and respected.
Cooper’s experience as attorney general may be needed
If the election results are contested, Cooper’s experience for four terms as North Carolina’s attorney general could come in handy, allowing Harris to focus on leading the country and the world.
North Carolina is home to the NC10
North Carolina is home to 10 historically Black colleges and universities — known as the NC10 — and that could be good for Cooper given the importance of the D9.
Cooper spoke to the NC10 at their second convening in November 2021 at N.C. Central University in Durham.
“Guess what I’ve been able to say in my recruiting of these companies?,” he asked leaders. “North Carolina has more four-year HBCUs than any other state.”
Cooper has been on the ballot with Trump in 2016 and 2020
Trump won in 2020 with 49.93% of the vote. He won in 2016 with 49.83%.
Cooper won in 2020 with 51.52%. He won in 2016 with 49.02%.
Fundraising matters
This Associated Press headline makes the importance of money and fundraising clear: “Kamala Harris smashes fundraising record with stunning $81 million haul over 24 hours.”
In Cooper’s latest campaign finance report, you can see Cooper for North Carolina had $1,195,682.22 cash on hand on June 30, 2024.
That’s a lot for a governor whose next step in politics isn’t yet clear.
Cooper continues to be well known across North Carolina because he is on the road
After the Republican-led legislature introduced legislation to expand school choice statewide, on May 23, 2023, Cooper issued a state of emergency for our public schools.
He also hit the road. You can see all of the places he visited between May 23 and the end of 2023 to highlight public schools on the map in red.
Cooper then declared 2024 “The Year of Public Schools.” Here is the proclamation, and here are his remarks from the launch. You can see all of the places he has visited in 2024 to highlight public schools on the map in blue.
In his eight years as governor, Cooper has had a master class in public speaking. If he was once boring, then that is no longer the case.
His “public schools rock” fire is received well in counties that lean left and right, in part because everywhere he goes he delivers school supplies and fist bumps, affirms students and thanks educators, and both listens and preaches.
On July 11, 2024, Harris visited Dudley High School in Greensboro. Check out these photos from Cornell Watson.
Their Venn diagram includes moms and music
Cooper is known for saying, “My mom was the greatest public school teacher in the history of North Carolina.”
He watched his mom work early and late and hard as an educator.
When he asked why being a teacher was such hard work, Cooper says his mom would say, “Every child is different, every class is different, every year is different.”
While Cooper is more Mipso than Beyoncé, serving the country could be his next “Carolina Calling.”
Between being prosecutors, Democrats, leaders, loving on their mamas, and music, there might just be enough of a Venn diagram with Cooper for Harris/Cooper signs to start popping up across North Carolina.
