Roy Cooper: ‘Extreme’ GOP candidates could help Harris win North Carolina

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper thinks down-ballot races will help Vice President Kamala Harris win the Tar Heel State, he said at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

Speaking to POLITICO journalist Ryan Lizza at a Q&A event, Cooper predicted strong voter turnout to prevent “extreme” right wing candidates from winning office.

“I think there’s going to be a rising up that will end up helping Vice President Harris in this race, from some people who may not have gone to the polls even in a presidential year, because these races are so important,” he said.

Cooper specifically referred to extreme views of the Republican nominees for North Carolina governor, attorney general, and superintendent.

The party’s contenders for those seats are Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, and Michele Morrow, respectively.

Predicting a swing-state victory for Harris

North Carolina was the closest loss for President Joe Biden in 2020. Former President Donald Trump won the state by only 1.3 percent.

“I have a 2008 feeling about North Carolina, and we know what that means, because that’s the last time North Carolina voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in Barack Obama,” Cooper said.

He made a similar statement when introducing Harris at a campaign stop in Raleigh last Friday.

After Harris entered the presidential race, political strategists floated Cooper as a potential running mate. He withdrew his name from contention a week later.

“I just knew Tim Walz was out there,” Cooper said. “He is a smart, dedicated leader, straightforward guy. Everybody likes to be around him.”

Reaching the end of his term as governor, Cooper has yet to reveal what’s next for him.

Some political observers think he’ll make a bid for U.S. Senate in 2026. Others think he’ll take a role in the Harris administration.

He declined to say he’ll run for president in 2028, telling Lizza he thinks Harris will be running for reelection that year.

“After I finish my term and assess the situation, see where I might be needed, then I’ll make the decision at that time,” he said. “I think everything is on the table.”

Editor’s note: NC Newsline reporter Christine Zhu previously interned at POLITICO on the breaking news desk.

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