While recent polls have brought North Carolina’s status as a “swing state” into question, national Democrats are openly discussing ways they could be more competitive in the Tar Heel State. Calls for Biden to be replaced at the top of the ticket have been growing louder since a disastrous debate performance in June undermined confidence in his physical ability to lead the nation. Vice President Kamala Harris is presumed the most feasible option to jump to the top of the ticket.
So who might fill out the VP role, then? One suggestion may sound familiar.
Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Howard Dean, in an appearance Thursday on CNN with host Abby Phillip, openly fantasized about a Harris/Cooper ticket — as in, current Democrat governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper.
WATCH:
“If the president decides not to run, I see Kamala Harris and I would hope Roy cooper, who is the former governor or the governor of North Carolina, who’s not running again, I think it will be actually easier for us to win North Carolina,” former DNC Chair Howard Dean tells me pic.twitter.com/lvS8dZFuOI
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) July 18, 2024
“If the president decides not to run, I see Kamala Harris and I would hope Roy Cooper, who is the former governor or the governor of North Carolina, who’s not running again. I think it will be actually easier for us to win North Carolina,” former DNC Chair Howard Dean told the CNN host. “So, I would favor a Harris/Cooper ticket, and I think we would pick up North Carolina as a result.”
Cooper is serving his second term as governor and cannot pursue reelection. He has a been a reliable supporter of Biden and his policies, even while other prominent Democrats have shied away for fear of damage in the polls. Nationally, Cooper is viewed as a moderate Democrat who’s been elected repeatedly in a Republican-leaning state, and therefore has appeal to Democrats scrambling to either deepen their bench, or even replace their starters, to gain in critical battleground states.
Within the Tar Heel State, perceptions of Cooper’s ideological bent are more developed. Most high profile fights with the legislature have found Cooper defending positions or policies of the far left. In his proposed state budget, Cooper called for a moratorium on taxpayer-funded private school vouchers and said the money should instead be directed to public schools.
He declared a “State of Emergency” for public education in May 2023, with a red banner across the top of the governor.nc.gov website that would normally be dedicated for true emergencies such as hurricanes, saying the school choice legislation warranted the emergency condition.
Cooper appeared with Biden at a rally in Raleigh the day after his disastrous debate with Trump. Democratic Attorney General and candidate for governor Josh Stein was also in attendance.
On Monday, Biden sent a defiant letter to Congressional Democrats stating that he had no intentions of stepping down from the ticket.
In the letter, Biden said that over the past ten days, he has had extensive discussions with the Democratic Party leadership, elected officials, rank-and-file members, and voters, hearing their fears and worries about what is at stake in the election. He said he has taken great strength from the support of many Democrats in Congress and voters across the country.
A primetime interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last week did nothing to quell Democrats’ fears that he is not capable of being in office for another four years.
It has since been reported that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, have told Biden he should consider dropping out of the race.
North Carolina, which has 16 electoral votes, is crucial in winning the White House. The latest polls for North Carolina suggest that things are getting worse for Biden in his rematch with Trump.