Vice President Kamala Harris' list of potential running mates dropped by one Monday when North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took himself out of consideration to join the ticket of the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee.
"I strongly support Vice President Harris' campaign for president," Cooper said in a statement posted on his X account. "I know she's going to win, and I was honored to be considered for this role.
"This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket. As I've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll work to make sure she wins."
Cooper, a former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, is in his second term and is term-limited from seeking reelection in November. He was asked last week by Harris' campaign to be vetted for vice president but declined to participate, The New York Times reported Monday, citing two people engaged in the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Cooper was concerned that Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is on the ballot this year to replace him, would mount a legal challenge to usurp his executive authority while he was out of state, the Times reported. Cooper did not believe Robinson would be successful but thought any challenge would be a distraction had he been added to the ticket.
The other leading candidates remaining to be Harris' running mates reportedly are Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Harris is trying to select a running mate on an accelerated timeline, seeking to make her choice by Aug. 7 — a little more than two weeks after she entered the race following President Joe Biden's decision to not seek reelection. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is planning to begin a virtual roll call vote to choose its presidential candidate Thursday.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, once speculated to be on Harris' short list of running mates, said Harris likely will make her choice in the next six or seven days.
"Everything is truncated, and she's going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days," Whitmer, a co-chair of Harris' campaign, said Monday in an interview on "CBS Mornings." "I would imagine we'll know who her running mate is, and we'll get ready for [the] convention."
Harris is the only major contender for the party's nomination, and she reportedly has support from more than enough of the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.