North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper removes himself from Harris VP consideration

By MJ Lee and Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN) — Roy Cooper on Monday said it isn’t the right time for him to join a national ticket, as two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN the North Carolina governor had removed himself from consideration as Kamala Harris’ running mate in a sign that the accelerated search has entered a new phase.

Harris’ decision on a running mate could come within a week, two people familiar with the matter said, with Harris’ goal to make an announcement before August 7. She intends to have private conversations with top contenders, sources said, but it was unclear whether those discussions have started.

“I strongly support Vice President Harris’ campaign for President. I know she’s going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role. This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” Cooper said in a statement posted to his personal account on X. “As l’ve said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins.”

Cooper was approached by the Harris campaign about being vetted, and he declined, a source familiar told CNN.

The governor, whose friendship with Harris dates back to their time serving as the attorneys general of their respective states, was also the oldest candidate under consideration. His age, 67, was seen by some Democrats to be at odds with Harris’ push for a vigorous and younger ticket, the sources said.

There also was concern among some Democrats about elevating Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s Republican lieutenant governor whom the state constitution says would perform the governor’s duties when the governor is absent from the state.

Other Democrats in the state and Washington, DC, told CNN that Cooper may instead look at the 2026 Senate race for the seat currently held by Republican Thom Tillis.

Polling and extensive research is underway for other top Democratic running mate contenders, sources said, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also seen as prospective running mates.

CNN has reached out to a representative for Cooper. The Harris campaign declined to comment.

On a “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call to rally support for the vice president Monday night, Cooper praised Harris’ record, calling her a “strong woman” that the nation needs.

“Kamala Harris is a strong woman. She’s going to run this country in a way that she cares about the pocketbook issues. … She’s going to work to clean our environment. She’s going to work to make sure that people have health care and quality education. That’s the kind of person that we need,” he said on the call.

Cooper did not mention taking himself out of consideration to be Harris’ potential running mate.

Cooper, who was viewed as one of the top contenders for the role, leads a state that is a crucial battleground in 2024. He was narrowly elected for the first time in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes. He won reelection in 2020 and is term-limited out of running for a third time. He endorsed Harris earlier this month, saying she “has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity.”

Throughout his time as governor, Cooper has clashed with lawmakers in the state legislature, where Republicans have a supermajority, over abortion rights and voting rights, among other things.

Cooper had previously waved off speculation that he might be on the shortlist for vice presidential nominees if President Joe Biden stepped aside from his reelection campaign and Harris became the nominee.

“I don’t want to play into this new favorite political parlor game, because it’s too important for America to stop Donald Trump,” Cooper told CNN in July. 

After Biden announced he would step aside and endorsed Harris, a wave of endorsements from state delegations made her the presumptive Democratic nominee.

The Democratic National Committee’s rules panel last week adopted the rules the party will use to choose its presidential nominee, with voting to officially nominate Harris likely to begin August 1. The party has said its goal is to nominate its presidential and vice presidential candidates by August 7.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, Edward-Isaac Dovere and Ebony Davis contributed to this story.

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