Harris picks Walz for VP over Shapiro, Kelly, others; Why did NC Gov. Roy Cooper bow out?
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, ending a whirlwind selection process and leaving behind a quickly assembled host of vice presidential might-have-beens, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Harris named Walz, an outspoken Midwestern statesman, on Aug. 6, three months before the Nov. 5 election against Republican Donald Trump and running mate Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Walz, 60, brings political acuity, suburban-and-rural appeal and progressive patriotism to a competition where all three criteria are seen as helpful for Democrats to clinch a win.
A military veteran, former public school teacher and six-term congressman, Walz is now serving the sixth year of his eight-year stint as governor of the North Star State. He and Vance are expected to face off directly in a debate, though that event has not yet been scheduled.
In endorsing Walz, former President Barack Obama said in a statement that he doesn’t just have the experience to be a vice president, but “has the values and the integrity to make us proud.”
The selection comes after Democratic President Joe Biden dropped out of the race July 21 amid rising concerns about his age and a faltering debate performance against Trump.
Those also considered for vice president included Generation X governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; swing state allies like U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania; billionaire businessman and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker; rising political star U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; and seasoned pros like N.C.'s Cooper.
Cooper, 67, can’t run a third time for governor because of term limits. And he was quickly eyed as one of Harris’ potential running mates. He brought an impressive resume, with a faith-based background, strong Southern connection and record of winning every election in purple N.C., even when other top statewide races went red.
But his interest in a 2026 Senate race along with the “happy warrior” persona and congressional experience of Walz appeared to play large in the choice, some political observers say.
Walz emits an optimistic outlook but “can land a punch squarely on the opponent’s jaw when needed,” said Mike Bitzer, political scientist at Catawba College.
Growing up on a farm in the small eastern town of Nashville, N.C., Cooper served 14 years in the state legislature and16 years as state attorney general. He's in his eighth year as governor.
In his time in the executive mansion, Cooper has battled – and at times found common ground with – a GOP-controlled General Assembly.
He worked with Republicans to bring jobs to the state through Toyota and Apple and struck a deal to provide health care for more low-income residents. That expansion of Medicaid became a hallmark of his tenure. More recently, Cooper maneuvered to use that federal health insurance program to relieve potentially $4 billion in residents’ medical debt.
The son of a school teacher, Cooper made public education a cornerstone of his administration, but also faced setbacks. He and Democratic lawmakers successfully fought for teacher pay hikes, though Republicans also shifted money to charter schools – which are public, but more affluent and less racially diverse. Now the legislature is pushing more public dollars to private schools in the form of a voucher program.
With interest still swirling around him as a potential vice presidential nominee, Cooper took himself out of the running last month, saying he communicated his position “early in the process” to Harris’ team.
“This just wasn’t the right time for N.C. and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” he said in a July 29 social media post.
Reacting to Harris’ pick, he called Walz an outstanding choice.
“Governors like him know what it takes to get the job done, and he will be an outstanding vice president, doubling down on his work to support middle class families, protect reproductive freedom and safeguard our democracy,” Cooper said in an Aug. 6 social media post.
The Citizen Times reached out to a representative for Cooper.
Bitzer, the Catawba College political scientist, questioned Cooper’s choice not to make clear early on that he wasn’t interested, saying it didn’t fit with his reputation as a “fairly transparent politician.”
While Democrats have named Cooper's age and concerns about far-right Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as reasons for bowing out, Bitzer said they don’t quite check out.
Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial candidate who has denied the Holocaust and told a church audience “some folks need killing,” becomes acting governor when Cooper is out of state, according to the N.C. Constitution. In October, with Cooper in Japan, Robinson used that power to proclaim a week of solidarity with Israel and downplay past antisemitic comments. But Bitzer said modern communication technology means the lieutenant governor actually has little power in those situations now ? and he doubted Robinson would take any extreme measures three months out from his election contest against Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.
As for Cooper’s age, some Democrats have said the governor is interested in the Senate seat now held by Republican Thom Tillis, a race that's two years away for an office that carries a six-year term. While he would be a good fit for a Cabinet nomination, the Senate race may be foremost in his mind, Bitzer said.
“That to me, the Senate race feels like the major goal, and the focus of what he's trying to accomplish,” said Bitzer.
USA Today contributed to this piece.
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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Harris picks Walz for VP over Shapiro; Why did NC Gov. Cooper bow out?
