North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken on a national role for the Democratic Party, one that could mean the difference for other Democratic governors and candidates as well as his own political future.
Cooper is politically undefeated when it comes to getting elected. He served in the state Senate and as attorney general and is a year into his second term as governor.
National Democrats have noticed Cooper's ability to succeed in a divided political state. While a majority of North Carolina voters chose President Donald Trump, they also chose Cooper.
Cooper was just elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association, after previously serving as vice chair. What he'll need to deliver comes in the form of fundraising, advice and getting out the party's message. A spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association describes the job as being a "five-tool player."
"His role here is going to be helping with all sorts of things. Fundraising, messaging, talking to candidates and governors where most helpful," David Turner, DGA communications director, told The News & Observer in an interview.
Turner said the DGA is "obviously very excited" about Stacey Abrams' candidacy for governor of Georgia, and about several other states as well.
He said Democrats are still analyzing data from this fall's Virginia election, which saw a Republican win by Glenn Youngkin over Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
Democrats running in 2022 will focus on "kitchen table" issues that matter to voters, he said. That means the pandemic, the economy, jobs, "making sure wages are keeping up with prices," education funding, teacher pay raises and programs to make up for learning loss. He said that Cooper knows that each gubernatorial race is going to be different.
Cooper's key agenda items for the state budget battle that lasted for years, finally culminating in a budget becoming law just before Thanksgiving, included those issues of education funding and teacher pay.
His 2020 reelection race was a referendum on his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Carolina saw months of restrictions on businesses, but there was enough economic activity to create a budget surplus for state government. The restrictions during the height of the pandemic were the subject of frequent criticism, and legislation, by the Republican-majority General Assembly. All statewide restrictions in North Carolina ended in July, though the state of emergency remains in place.
How exactly Cooper will help other Democratic gubernatorial incumbents and candidates running is to be determined.
Turner said that traditionally there are a "decent" amount of in-person events for the DGA chair, but with the pandemic ongoing, it is hard to tell if that will be the same for 2022, he said.
Lt. Gov. Robinson factor
According to the North Carolina Constitution, if the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor. That could be problematic for Cooper, given that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is from the opposing party and has become a lightning rod for controversial comments.
Robinson has made several disparaging comments about people who are LGBTQ over the past several months. In speeches at churches, Robinson has called LGBTQ people "filth." Later, he framed his previous comments about just about a few books in schools.
"It's hateful language and public officials should not be bullies," Cooper told The News & Observer about Robinson's LGBTQ comments.
Cooper told The N&O in an interview Wednesday that Robinson does not speak for North Carolinians "or the diverse people who live here." Asked if Robinson's comments could impact the state's economic development, similar to fallout from 2016's House Bill 2 that limited LGBTQ rights, he said that businesses and people across the country recognize that Robinson does not speak for the state.
"We are a state that values diversity," he said.
Cooper's comments echoed what he also told reporters a day earlier at a news conference.
"That hateful language does not represent who we are as North Carolinians. We are an inclusive state that values diversity. And I want to make sure that people in North Carolina and the rest of the country know that," Cooper said Tuesday.
Council of State and Critical Race Theory
Robinson has been vocal about an anti-Critical Race Theory bill that was vetoed by Cooper. Robinson, who is Black, joined other Republicans in supporting the bill. He has also been outspoken about what he calls "indoctrination" in schools, though he has not shown any evidence of widespread indoctrination.
The office of lieutenant governor in North Carolina doesn't come with much power — they preside over the Senate but only vote to break a tie, and serve on several boards, including the State Board of Education. Once a month, Cooper, Robinson and the eight other statewide elected officials meet as members of the Council of State. Meetings are usually brief and end with comments from each leader about what's going on in their area, from the treasurer's office to the attorney general. At the December meeting, Robinson asked Cooper about "indoctrination" in schools, who did not respond.
The Council of State roundtable, Cooper told The N&O, is "a time when people report on things they've done, and I don't think people want us to use Council of State for personal political gain."
Cooper's growing national profile
Not only might Cooper need to travel for his DGA role, if he decides to run for president or other office before his current term is up, he could end up leaving the state frequently to campaign.
But whatever plans Cooper might be thinking about, he's not saying anything publicly.
"It really is way too early to talk," Cooper told The N&O on Wednesday when asked about what he wants to do after his term ends in 2024. He said he has three more years of his "ambitious agenda." That includes his long-sought-after Medicaid expansion and getting out state and federal money for high-speed internet expansion, road improvements and electric vehicle charging stations.
Cooper told reporters at the news conference on Tuesday that his "future plans are to continue to be governor of North Carolina for more than three years and to work on all the issues that we have here. Those are my plans."
He reiterated that in Wednesday, saying that his "main focus is making sure that I'm governing North Carolina to the best of my ability." Cooper said he has seen the "critical role of governors across the country" taking the lead in health and safety response during the pandemic. He said he'll coordinate strategy to help Democratic governors "in any way I can" in their campaigns.
Morgan Jackson, a key advisor to Cooper and other Democrats, said Cooper's role as DGA chair is to "raise the level of importance why Democratic governors are so important." Jackson said that the Democratic Party "has to talk about kitchen table issues" and "get away from chasing [former President Donald] Trump."
Jackson said there is a different issue set for governors than for federal or legislative candidates.
"Governors can't just be partisan hacks all the time, they have to focus on making government work," Jackson said.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.
