Ready for prime time: Previewing NC Gov. Roy Cooper’s speech supporting Kamala Harris

Gov. Roy Cooper intends to use his prime-time speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention to try to solidify to Americans the work Vice President Kamala Harris did as California attorney general, her desire to help people and why she deserves their vote.

And by giving Cooper a prime speaking slot, Democrats are telling voters that they still believe North Carolina is in play this election cycle.

A source familiar with convention planning gave McClatchy a preview of what Cooper plans to say Thursday night. The source said Cooper will make the case for Harris and her commitment to working people. He’s also expected to discuss the work they did together that, he will say, helped middle-class families.

Cooper and Harris have known each other for decades. Their careers overlapped as attorneys general for six of Cooper’s 16 years serving as North Carolina’s top legal adviser.

Their relationship was strong enough that Cooper was considered a potential running mate for Harris, a position he chose not to pursue, saying it wasn’t the right time. But that hasn’t stopped Cooper from stumping for her.

On stage, McClatchy was told, Cooper will describe Harris as having a record of going after violent criminals and making communities safer. He will say they did shared work to hold banks accountable and fight for the middle class during the mortgage crisis.

Former President Barack Obama discussed that work during his own speech Tuesday night.

“As an attorney general of the most populous state in the country, she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people they had scammed,” Obama said, on stage. “After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. It didn’t matter that I was a Democrat. It didn’t matter that she had knocked on doors for my campaign. She was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it.”

Cooper’s speech will also focus on his belief that Harris can win North Carolina. Doing so would make Harris the first Democratic presidential nominee to do so since Obama in 2008. And he, in turn, was the first Democrat since 1976.

Democrats have been hyper-focused on North Carolina this campaign season, investing resources, time and money into the state to win its 16 electoral votes. They’ve also sent Biden, Harris and surrogates, including First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, into the state nearly weekly. Harris has visited eight times since 2024 began.

Despite Republicans almost always winning the state, North Carolina is considered a battleground state because of the narrow margins between Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.

And this week, the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics’ Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved North Carolina from a “leans Republican” state to a toss-up, after Harris repeatedly polled ahead of Trump recently.

In interviews that Cooper has given throughout DNC, he could hardly contain his excitement, grinning ear-to-ear, and expressing his belief that Harris will pull off the win. He called it “a 2008 feeling,” to Politico.

The source said Cooper will speak about how Harris is needed to fight for American families and will ensure “bright futures” for large and small communities across the country.

Cooper is one of at least two North Carolinians speaking on Thursday. Eric Fitts, an educator from Wake County, will take the stage around 9 p.m.

This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Ready for prime time: Previewing NC Gov. Roy Cooper’s speech supporting Kamala Harris."

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.