North Carolina’s Democratic governor says if Kamala Harris can turn his state Democratic, she will beat Donald Trump in November.
North Carolina has traditionally been Democratic, but has become more undecided since Barack Obama won in 2008.
Outgoing Governor Roy Cooper is an example of Democrats who have won at the state level and believes that if Harris repeats her feat, she will win the presidency.
“She knows that if she wins North Carolina, she will be the next president of the United States, because Trump has no other path,” Cooper told Face the Nation on Sunday.
Cooper, who was mentioned as a possible running mate for Harris before declaring he did not want the job, noted that Harris has visited the Tar Heel State 17 times as vice president.
Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, says that if Kamala Harris can flip his state Democratic, she will beat Donald Trump in November.
“This was the closest Biden-Harris loss of 2020, just by 1.3%. So the fact that Kamala Harris, as vice president of the United States, has been to North Carolina 17 times shows that she cares about our state,” he told CBS.
Cooper is term-limited, but his former attorney general Josh Stein is favored to defeat Trump-backed Republican Mark Robinson on Nov. 5.
But while polls show Harris is closer to Trump than Biden was four years ago, she still leans toward the former president.
Averages of polls from RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight show Trump with a lead of less than a point as of Sunday.
However, Cooper believes a surprise win between Harris and Walz is possible after the Cook Political Report declared the race a close one.
“When we continue to get this information out to the American public and to the people of North Carolina, that Kamala Harris has an economic plan that will help lower costs for everyday people, that will help families thrive and that will protect women’s reproductive freedom, I think at the end of the day, that’s what’s going to work here,” Cooper said.
Cooper also did not deny that he would be interested in a job with the Harris-Walz administration, saying only “we’ll see” when asked if he would be considered.
Earlier this week, Democrats saw some hope in the South after polls showed a surge in support for Kamala Harris in Georgia and North Carolina.
Cooper, the outgoing governor, is an example of Democrats who have won at the state level and believes that if Harris repeats his feat, she will win the presidency.
While polls show Harris is closer to Trump than Biden was four years ago, she still leans toward the former president.
Harris leads Republican rival Donald Trump by two percentage points in both states, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
The vice president’s campaign is heavily focused on its efforts in the South, with Harris frequently visiting Georgia, which President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, and North Carolina, which she still hopes to retake from Trump.
Local Democratic leaders, citing growing enthusiasm for her candidacy, are now convinced that Harris, 59, can secure the first dual victory in Georgia and North Carolina since Jimmy Carter in 1976, Bloomberg reported.
But the last thing I&I/TIPP Survey shows Trump maintaining his strength among voters in key swing states, with better than 50 percent chances in five of them.
Trump is currently projected to win Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia (all of which were won by Democrats in 2020) and North Carolina. Harris maintains the lead in the “blue wall” states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Since Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed Harris, the vice president has focused on the so-called “blue wall” states that have been the centerpiece of successful Democratic campaigns.
He has also frequently visited Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina.
Harris is understood to have blazed a trail in the traditionally Republican states of Georgia and North Carolina, which no Democrat has won together in nearly five decades.
Cooper also did not deny that he would show interest in a job with the Harris-Walz administration, saying only “we’ll see” when asked if he would like to be considered.
Local Democratic leaders, citing growing enthusiasm for her candidacy, are now convinced that Harris, 59, can secure a double win in Georgia and North Carolina.
Harris’ campaign has the largest operation in the state of Georgia of any Democratic presidential campaign cycle, Bloomberg reported. It is operating 24 offices with more than 190 staff members.
Harris and Trump will debate for the first time on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
The contest will be televised and hosted by ABC News, but will be simulcast on several other networks and streaming services.