‘Kamala’s ready.’ NC Gov. Cooper fires up DNC as he introduces Harris on historic night

Gov. Roy Cooper stood on stage, surrounded by what Democratic National Convention organizers estimated at 50,000 people listening to him make the case for Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the nation.

His five-minute speech came moments before Harris took the stage to formally accept Democrats’ nomination of her as president of the United States. And he grinned ear to ear as he made his case for her.

Thursday night was all about Harris: who she is and what she will be like as president.

But Cooper’s high-profile role, at the first convention he has ever attended, emphasized the importance Democrats are putting on winning North Carolina this campaign cycle. He was joined on the last night of the convention by Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams and Eric Fitts, an educator from Raleigh, and his two sons.

“America, we have a lot of big fights ahead of us, and we’ve got one hell of a fighter ready to take them on,” Cooper said. “I want Americans to know, even if you don’t agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you to the very end.”

So far, the Democrats’ emphasis on North Carolina has paid off. Former President Donald Trump largely ignored the state over the past year and continued to poll ahead of President Joe Biden, then the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party.

But once Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris for president, she started polling ahead of or even with Trump in North Carolina. Trump’s visits to North Carolina began to pick up, most recently Wednesday in Asheboro at a rally with his running mate, JD Vance.

Tapping Cooper to give the second-to-last speech of the night made sense. Cooper and Harris have known each other since serving together as their states’ attorneys general.

During the six years they overlapped as their states’ top legal advisers, they worked together in Washington trying to get money back from banks for homeowners struggling after the mortgage crisis. Cooper talked about that story in his speech Thursday night.

“All the AGs were close to a settlement with the big banks, and it was a pretty good deal,” Cooper said. “It would have meant $4 billion for California families who had been ripped off. I know that sounds like a lot, but Kamala said, ‘Hang on a minute. I’ve met these families. I know what they’ve been through, and they deserve more.’”

Cooper said it was a risk, but she succeeded and won those families $20 billion.

Cooper and Harris’ relationship led to his being mentioned on lists of potential running mates for Harris. But Cooper took himself out of the running, saying it wasn’t the right time.

Instead, he’s been by her side, campaigning with her and on her behalf.

“Kamala’s ready,” Cooper said, on stage. “The question is, are we? Are we gonna stand up and fight for Kamala?”

He called on North Carolina to stand up if they’re willing to fight for her. Then he called on several other states — notably battleground states — and encouraged people to get out and vote.

Throughout the week, Cooper has expressed his belief that Harris will win North Carolina.

A Democrat running for president hasn’t won the state since 2008: former President Barack Obama. Before Obama, it had been 32 years.

But Republican candidates don’t capture the Tar Heel State by a lot. Less than 4%. So a Harris win isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

And North Carolina Democrats are fired up to make it happen.

Milkshakes and politics

Cooper wasn’t the only North Carolinian to take the stage for Harris on Thursday night.

Eric Fitts, an educator from Raleigh, also spoke before the crowd with his two sons, Christian and Carter, and expressed his dissatisfaction in Trump’s rhetoric.

“I always try to set an example for my boys,” Fitts told the audience. “To teach them compassion, accountability and resilience. I want those values to be reflected in our leaders.”

Fitts and his sons got an up-close view of Biden and how he presents himself in January, when Biden came to the Fitts home with milkshakes and food from Cook Out to discuss how Biden’s student loan forgiveness program helped Fitts and his sons. Video taken of the visit by Christian went viral on TikTok.

Fitts and Biden would see each other again after Biden came to Raleigh immediately following his poor debate performance against Trump, that ultimately led Biden to end his campaign. Fitts stood by Biden’s side on stage and supported the president’s candidacy.

On Thursday, he threw his support to Harris.

“I don’t want to turn off the TV because our president is lobbing insults or telling lies,” Fitts said. “I’m tired of all the hate. It’s time to move forward together and build a country our kids can be proud of.”

Mayor’s restaurant

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams spoke on stage about the struggles he and his wife faced during the Trump administration in trying to open a restaurant. Instead, they would cook for their community and drive around passing out samples.

When Biden became president, Williams said they applied for a small business loan. It allowed them to expand their restaurant, Zweli’s, the first Zimbabwean restaurant in the country, to three locations with 30 employees.

Williams and his wife were not alone in wanting to open a business. Under the Biden administration, Williams said, hundreds of thousands of people filed business applications in North Carolina.

“Kamala Harris is fighting to create this opportunity economy that can break down barriers for entrepreneurs like us,” Williams said. “And as president, she will support risk-takers and problem-solvers who want to just do their part and claim their piece of the American dream.”

North Carolinians’ appearances

Other North Carolinians made cameos at the convention.

Charlotte native and Golden State Warriors player Steph Curry endorsed Harris in a video played during the last day of the convention.

State Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton, 26, the youngest chair in history, made the nomination of Harris on behalf of North Carolina’s 131 delegates during a raucous roll call.

“This year, we are going to make sure that we put Democrats on the ballot and in people’s hearts and minds,” Clayton said, as she nominated Harris.

Nervahna Crew, a Raleigh resident who once worked as a regional political director for Biden, called into the convention by video conference to talk to “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson. Thompson was leading a sketch on Project 2025, a set of controversial policies created by the Heritage Foundation for the next Republican president.

As part of the sketch, Thompson told Crew and others how Project 2025 would affect them personally. He asked Crew if she was on insulin.

“Yes, and thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris I only pay $35 a month for my insulin,” Crew said.

But then Thompson told her that Project 2025 would force Americans to pay more for prescription drugs like insulin.

Crew also attended the convention in person.

James Taylor bumped from schedule

James Taylor grew up in Chapel Hill and wrote “Carolina in My Mind” as a tribute to his home state. He was set to perform Monday, but was cut from the schedule as Biden, the keynote speaker of the evening, was pushed out of prime time and into the East Coast’s 11 p.m. hour.

Some thought the convention organizers might make it up to him by playing his tribute to the state during North Carolina’s roll call vote, but instead they played “Raise Up” by Petey Pablo.

Taylor took to social media apologizing for disappointing his fan. He said he was excited to hear and see the speakers on opening night.

“But it became clear, as the evening unfolded, there wouldn’t be time for our ‘You’ve Got a Friend,’ with cello and voices,” Taylor wrote. “Maybe the organizers couldn’t anticipate the wild response from the floor of the United Center. Anyway, sorry to disappoint. But a great and inspirational, quintessential American moment. We were honored to be there.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 10:41 PM with the headline "‘Kamala’s ready.’ NC Gov. Cooper fires up DNC as he introduces Harris on historic night."

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.