US Election: Roy Cooper exits vice president race, endorses Kamala Harris

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper stepped down from the race to be Kamala Harris’ running mate in the forthcoming elections.

The governor made this official by posting it on his X handle, The New York Times reported.

However, the decision was unclear until Cooper released his statement on Monday evening.

“I strongly support Vice President Harris' campaign for president," Cooper's statement read. "I know she's going to win, and I was honoured to be considered for this role.

"This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket," the North Carolina Democrat added. "As I've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll all work to make sure she wins."

In this respect, Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, and Sen Mark Kelly, D-Ariz, were reportedly sent vetting materials.

Speaking to Fox News, senior political analyst of the John Locke Foundation, Mitch Kokai, believed that the North Carolina governor was considered a good match for Harris.

The analyst considered Cooper “the brightest star of the Democrats in North Carolina in recent years.”

"Democrats are likely to see Roy Cooper as a good match for Kamala Harris for multiple reasons. First and foremost, Cooper helps bring North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes into play in a way other candidates do not," Kokai explained.

"He has won six statewide elections since 2000. That’s an impressive accomplishment for a Democrat in a state that has trended right during the same time period."

"Cooper offers a clear demographic contrast to Harris, and he also presents a calm, sober, constrained personality that might help counter some of the criticism Harris has faced about her interactions with interviewers and the public," Kokai added.