President Joe Biden made a significant appearance in North Carolina this week, capturing the attention of the political world. He held a rally in Raleigh, following his historic first debate of 2024 against former President Donald Trump.
As Governor Roy Cooper approaches the end of his 8-year term, many speculate about his political plans for the future. There is buzz that he may consider running as a Democratic candidate in the 2028 elections.
Conversations about whether President Biden should stay on the ticket have been happening a lot sooner, especially after the recent talk post-debate.
Governor Cooper campaigned for President Joe Biden, emphasizing that North Carolina is a critical state for the Democrats. National Democrats view North Carolina as their most significant chance to gain a foothold.
While many North Carolina Democrats remain supportive of Biden, there are some who acknowledge that his debate performance could have been stronger.
According to Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, he initially had concerns about the performance of the presidency when it first began. However, he quickly realized that one performance does not define an entire presidency. “When he first started out I was like, oh what’s going on, what’s happening. But, no, I wasn’t worried because I’m not going to let one performance dictate the overall performance of his presidency,” Williams stated.
On the tarmac, he had a meeting with Biden and expressed that he wasn’t worried about his energy levels.
There are concerns at the national level regarding Biden’s age and capability, leading some to question whether he should be replaced. However, replacing him at the party convention is a rare and potentially risky political maneuver.
Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation stated that in the recent years, it has been observed that both parties tend to finalize their candidates early on, and we haven’t seen any deviation from this trend.
There are already several names being discussed if such a scenario were to occur.
According to Axios, a senior House Democrat suggested five potential candidates for governorship – Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, Gavin Newsom from California, Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania, Tim Walz from Minnesota, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
According to experts, Governor Cooper ticks off numerous boxes that make him a promising candidate. He holds the position of Governor in a crucial swing state, where he enjoys high approval ratings. Moreover, he is a Democrat who has emerged victorious in challenging elections in the Southern region, including the 2016 and 2020 races for Governor, despite Trump’s win in North Carolina during the same ballot.
According to Kokai, the Democrats view North Carolina as a desirable state to have and are drawn to a candidate with a proven track record of winning in the state. They believe that securing North Carolina could have positive implications for the party on a national level and potentially help them secure the 16 electoral votes the state offers.
Cooper and other individuals have made it abundantly clear that they will be standing by Biden’s side unless there are significant changes in the current situation. They firmly believe that he is the right person to lead the way towards a brighter future.
Williams urged Democrats who are panicking to change their course and candidate to stop complaining and get on the ground to work. He questioned the success rate of changing a candidate midway and asked for a precedent for it.
According to political experts, there is a possibility for Cooper to run for the U.S. Senate in the future, even if he doesn’t run for president. They believe that national Democrats may see an opening for him to run when Republican Thom Tillis is up for re-election in 2026.