Roy Cooper says no to 2022 Senate run, hits lt gov in process

Gov. Roy Cooper, who won a second term in November, said he would not run for the U.S. Senate in 2022 in part because he does not want Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson running the state.

“I’ve promised the people four years as governor and that’s what I want to do,” Cooper said during a video interview with Politico. “We also have a Republican lieutenant governor and if you look at who he is and what he stands for, I’m not sure that North Carolina needs two years of that, because if I ran, I believe that I would win.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, is not seeking reelection in 2022, creating a vacancy.

Cooper cannot run for governor again. He is term limited.

Robinson won his first term in November, completing a quick path from viral video star to high-ranking government official. The 52-year-old Robinson is the state’s first Black lieutenant governor. He first made headlines with a pro-gun speech at a Greensboro city council meeting in 2018.

Robinson has also grabbed attention for disparaging comments he’s made about transgender people, a Jewish filmmaker, Muslims and others, The News & Observer previously reported.

Cooper was first elected to office in 1986, serving in the state House, then the state Senate before winning four terms as North Carolina’s attorney general. He was first elected as governor in 2016, winning the state twice while Republican Donald Trump carried it for president.

Cooper, when asked, did not rule out a future run for another office.

If Vice President Kamala Harris were to be the Democratic presidential nominee, some have speculated that Cooper would be a possible running mate.

Cooper said he and Harris are friends from their days as attorneys general in North Carolina and California, respectively.

“I think she is one of the strong leaders in this country and part of the future of the Democratic Party. So I look forward to working with them,” Cooper told Politico. “I want to do the best job I can as the governor of this state. … We live in the best state in the country and we’re going to make this state a state that works for everybody.”

Three Democrats have formally announced their candidacy for Burr’s seat — former state Sen. Erica Smith, current state Sen. Jeff Jackson and virologist Richard Watkins. Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker is the only declared Republican in the race.

The race is expected to attract several other Republican and Democratic candidates, as well as others who are trying to qualify for the ballots as independents.

Brian Murphy covers North Carolina’s congressional delegation and state issues from Washington, D.C., for The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer and The Herald-Sun. He grew up in Cary and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. He previously worked for news organizations in Georgia, Idaho and Virginia. Reach him at [email protected].