- "During my time as governor, we've seen Medicaid expansion, medical debt relief, a boom in the clean energy economy, massive connections to high speed Internet ,investments in our education, and so much more," said Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday.
- “Cooper has compiled this electoral record despite backing policy ideas that are at best counterproductive and at worst damaging to North Carolina’s future,' said Mitch Kokai, senior policy analysis at the John Locke Foundation. "He has opposed tax reform, spending restraint, and parental choice in education. He championed a Medicaid expansion plan that could end up producing budgetary headaches in future years."
Gov. Roy Cooper delivered his official farewell address on Wednesday morning, marking the end of eight years in North Carolina’s Executive Mansion and nearly 40 years as an elected official in state government. Cooper, 67, first assumed the governorship in 2017 and was re-elected in 2020. Before becoming governor, he served 16 years as North Carolina attorney general. Prior to that, Cooper spent a decade in the North Carolina Senate from 1991 to 2001 and four years in the North Carolina House from 1987 to 1991.
Speaking from Nash County Community College near his hometown, Cooper reflected on his administration’s accomplishments. He highlighted Medicaid expansion, his use of executive orders to advance green energy initiatives, and the influx of companies building or planning to establish manufacturing facilities in the state.
“When I physically took office, I stood in the rubble of House Bill 2,” he said, referencing a law passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016. The legislation prohibited municipalities from creating local ordinances on whether biological men could use bathrooms and changing rooms designated for biological women.
“Our comeback story was never given, but we did come back,” Cooper told supporters. “Today, we have added more than 640,000 good-paying jobs since 2017. We’re the third-fastest-growing state in the country, the best state for business, and the epicenter for the energy economy. We have covered more than 600,000 people with health insurance through Medicaid expansion, and we have restored our reputation as a welcoming place where people can thrive, innovate, and grow.”
Cooper’s tenure was marked by significant conflict with the Republican-led General Assembly, particularly over expanding the federal Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act to include hundreds of thousands of able-bodied, working-age adults. Cooper vetoed multiple state budgets due to the legislature’s refusal to include Medicaid expansion, which also delayed state employee raises and other measures. Ultimately, federal incentives under the Biden administration led to Medicaid expansion being passed by the legislature in 2023.
“A major part of Gov. Cooper’s legacy will be the largest increase of government entitlements in North Carolina’s history: Medicaid expansion,” said Brian Balfour, vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation. “While he claims this as a victory, the hard truth is that this expansion has piled on 600,000 more North Carolinians into an already overcrowded system. Unfortunately, coverage will not mean access to care.”
The state legislature has yet to pass measures such as certificate-of-need reforms to address access issues in North Carolina’s strained healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Cooper’s administration has signed executive orders and billions of dollars in corporate tax rebate deals to advance his vision for a green economy.
“We continue to use executive orders to push our state toward more renewable energy, like wind and solar, and more electric vehicles,” said Cooper. “All of it has created better-paying jobs for North Carolina. The investments we made today have cemented our place as the epicenter of the clean energy economy.”
Cooper mentioned he might purchase one of the new electric vehicles himself, noting he hasn’t driven in eight years.
Critics, however, argue Cooper’s green energy agenda has come at a cost. “He promoted a ‘green energy’ agenda that would limit consumers’ choices, raise electricity bills unnecessarily, and strain an energy grid when it needs to be strengthened instead,” Balfour said. “He spent much of his eight-year tenure fighting with Republican leaders in the General Assembly, even though their fiscally responsible policies paved the way for the economic growth that likely boosted Cooper’s political fortunes.”
Cooper’s public approval ratings remained relatively strong throughout his governorship, dipping mainly during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools and businesses were closed under extended emergency orders, beyond those of neighboring states. As of August 2024, his approval rating stood at 48%, despite only 33% of North Carolinians believing the state was on the right track.
Cooper’s time in office also saw record corporate welfare deals. “Cooper facilitated and endorsed several of the state’s largest corporate welfare handouts in history,” Balfour said. “Massive, billion-dollar handouts to some of the largest corporations on the planet, putting taxpayers on the hook for up to three decades in some cases. Meanwhile, he opposed across-the-board tax cuts for businesses.”
Cooper leaves office with the distinction of having vetoed more legislation than all other North Carolina governors combined since the veto power was enacted in 1996. Term-limited, he eventually endorsed Attorney General Josh Stein over former North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Mike Morgan in the March 2024 Democratic primary to succeed him.
There has been speculation that Cooper could challenge Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in the 2026 Senate race, though no formal announcements have been made. Cooper was also rumored to be on Vice President Kamala Harris’ shortlist for a running mate in the 2024 presidential race, but he said it “wasn’t the right time” for a national campaign.
“Roy Cooper leaves the stage with both a remarkable political legacy and a less impressive policy legacy,” said Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the John Locke Foundation. “On the political front, it’s hard to dispute that Cooper has been the most successful politician in North Carolina since Jim Hunt. He has won six consecutive statewide elections and maintained support from a notable group of voters who backed him in 2016 and 2020 while also voting for Donald Trump. That’s an impressive feat for a politician in a reddish-purple state.”
“Roy Cooper is great at playing politics and winning elections. One might wish that his political talent carried over into the policy arena,” Kokai added.
Cooper closed his speech by addressing the state’s future. “We made it this far together, building a North Carolina with healthier, better-educated people. We are ready to embrace prosperity for generations—strong and great—but we’re not done. I’m not done,” he said. “We cannot allow the divisive tenor of today’s politics to rule the day. … I know I leave this office in the good hands of Governor-elect Josh Stein.”
Stein will be sworn in at 10 a.m. on Jan. 11 in a ceremony at North Carolina’s State Capitol.