As Vice President Kamala Harris decides on who should be her running mate, much of the attention is focused on North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Who is Roy Cooper?

Cooper is term-limited in his second term as governor of the swing state of North Carolina and is one of the few Democrats in the state that’s been able to win statewide in recent years.

Cooper narrowly beat Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in 2017 and then held off Republican Lt. Gov Dan Forest in 2020 with nearly 52% of the vote.

Prior to serving as governor, Cooper was state attorney general for four terms. Before that, he was a member of the General Assembly.

Cooper, 67, is a longtime politician and a lifelong North Carolinian. Before to entering public service, he practiced law. He’s the father of three daughters.

The past two years, Cooper has been limited in what he can do as governor because Republicans have a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly. Cooper vetoed new restrictions on abortion, but Republicans overrode his veto.

Last year, one of Cooper’s major initiatives, Medicaid expansion, passed the General Assembly.

“This law, once implemented, will be the working family’s bill of the decade,” Cooper said in 2023. “Today is a historic step toward a healthier North Carolina.”

Cooper and state Republicans have also worked together to make numerous job announcements for the state. He also led the state’s response during the COVID pandemic and his health and human services secretary at the time, Dr. Mandy Cohen, was eventually chosen by Biden to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After beating McCrory and becoming governor, Cooper repealed the best-known provision of HB2 (the “Bathroom Bill”) that required transgender people using public restrooms to correspond to the sex on their birth certificate.

What Cooper brings to a Harris Ticket?

Democrats have struggled to win North Carolina in recent years. The last time a Democratic presidential candidate won the state was in 2008 when voters chose Barack Obama. President Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by 1.3% in 2020.

Cooper and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who’s running to replace Cooper as governor, are some of the few Democrats who’ve recently won statewide in North Carolina. Both of North Carolina’s U.S. Senators are Republican.

The Biden campaign had invested significant resources in flipping North Carolina this November, but Biden has recently struggled in the polls.

Adding Cooper to a Harris ticket could help her win North Carolina. Cooper is relatively popular in the state. In a Meredith poll released in May, 52% of North Carolinians said they approve of his job performance.

“Roy Cooper’s job approval numbers, especially in a state with such a strong partisan divide, are remarkable,” David McLennan said in the poll’s report.

But Cooper isn’t the only potential VP contender who could help Harris in swing states.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro won election in 2022 and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is a former astronaut and married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011, is also a contender in a key swing state.

Other VP contenders include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer.

Cooper and Harris know each other well. They are both former state attorneys generals and Cooper has been an active member of the Biden campaign. That relationship could be an advantage as Harris considers her decision.

While Cooper is not a flashy politician, he can get fired up when addressing political rallies.

Harris and Cooper appeared at a rally together on Wednesday where Harris praised Cooper by saying, “I’ve known him for almost two decades and he’s an extraordinary leader.”

“I think he [Cooper] would be fabulous…they [Harris and Cooper] complement each other and get along. I think it would be great for the country and great for the state,” Rep. Deborah Ross told Spectrum News on Sunday.