Gov. Roy Cooper drops out of running for Harris's VP selection
Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the chosen one for the Democratic Party's presidential ticket, all eyes are on whom she will select as her running mate as she hopes to battle former President Donald Trump on the ballot in November.
Several names have been floated as strong possibilities, with many of them being governors. However, according to reports, at least one of those potential VPs has already indicated that he's not interested.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina shocked the Democratic Party this week by withdrawing his name from the running to appear with Harris on the 2024 ticket.
Cooper was a top contender for the job, with many political observers sure that he was a near-guaranteed pick for Harris.
MSN noted:
Sources close to the matter confirmed Cooper's decision to remove himself from consideration. AP reports the governor decided to remove his name from consideration as Harris's running mate because of concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor would assume control when he travels out of state if he were selected.
The Democratic governor released a statement after reports were published indicating that he wasn't interested in taking on the VP role.
His reasoning in the statement slightly differed from reports published by The New York Times. In his statement to social media, he simply said he felt it "wasn't the right time" to exit his position.
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 30, 2024
Now that Cooper has signaled that he's not willing to jump into the race, a handful of others received a bump in the running.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, is thought to be at the top of the list. Earlier reports suggested that former President Barack Obama wanted Kelly to be at the top of the ticket, but he ultimately endorsed Harris.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is another strong contender and has been a leading voice for Harris on the attack-front against Trump and his VP pick, Sen. J.D. Vance.
Another top contender is reportedly Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who has also made headlines for his words of support for Harris in recent days.
On Tuesday, it was leaked that Harris will decide on her VP pick by early next week.
Only time will tell whom she ultimately selects.