North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is no longer in the running to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate this election season.
The governor confirmed the news in a statement on X. The New York Times broke the story on Monday evening, reporting that Cooper informed Harris’ team about his decision to withdraw.
It was originally unclear what caused the decision, but Cooper said in a statement released on Monday evening that it “wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me.”
“I strongly support Vice President Harris’ campaign for President,” Cooper’s statement read. “I know she’s going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role.
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“This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” the North Carolina Democrat added. “As I’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 considered a top contender among Harris’ potential running mates in recent days. After President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris began running her campaign, her team sent vetting materials to Cooper, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., were reportedly sent vetting materials as well.
John Locke Foundation senior political analyst Mitch Kokai told Fox News Digital earlier on Monday that the North Carolina governor was considered “a good match” for Harris.
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“Democrats are likely to see Roy Cooper as a good match for Kamala Harris for multiple reasons. First and foremost, Cooper helps bring North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes into play in a way other candidates do not,” Kokai explained.
“He has won six statewide elections since 2000. That’s an impressive accomplishment for a Democrat in a state that has trended right during the same time period.”
The political analyst called Cooper “the Democrats’ brightest star in North Carolina in recent years.”
“Cooper offers a clear demographic contrast to Harris, and he also presents a calm, sober, constrained personality that might help counter some of the criticism Harris has faced about her interactions with interviewers and the public,” Kokai added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Cooper’s office and the Harris campaign for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin and Michael Lee contributed to this report.
