(WGHP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has removed himself from consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential running mate, according to multiple news outlets, including The New York Times and Associated Press.
Cooper, 67, backed out in part due to concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor would assume control when he travels out of state if he were selected, two people familiar with the matter told AP. Cooper, according to one of the people, has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel.
The governor withdrew before Harris formally began soliciting vetting material from potential vice presidents, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive search process.
Harris’ search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information on a narrowing list of potential candidates.
Cooper, the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been close to Harris since they were both state attorneys general.
Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program recently, Cooper said he spoke with Harris as Democrats coalesced around her in the wake of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out.
“We understand you had a conversation with the vice president yesterday as well. How did that go?” Mika Brzezinski asked Cooper.
“It went great,” Cooper said. “We talked about winning this race. … This is a bottom-up type of thing, Mika. I think Kamala Harris soon is going to be in a position where she can really take off, and I’m excited about it and feel confident that she can win this presidency. So the excitement is certainly showing itself up in dollars and cents.”
Spokespeople for Cooper didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment late Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
