Harris' team considers VP candidates: Cooper among them

Kamala Harris campaign team has requested vetting materials for several politicians across the country, according to several media reports.

It includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who took questions Tuesday about the possibility of becoming Harris’ pick for Vice President.

“I'm not going to talk about that,” Cooper said while visiting Winston-Salem.

Cooper said he wanted to respect Harris' process and “give her the space to pick the best person,” adding “I’m just not going to comment on her process.”

The Associated Press reports Cooper, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are among the choices to be Harris’ running mate.

“I think there are a long list of Democrats who could do an amazing job in that position with her,” Cooper said. “The thing is she has extraordinary people to pick from and I trust that she's going to make the right decision, not only for her but for the Democratic Party and for the country.”

Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general, and a team of lawyers at his firm Covington & Burling are taking the lead on vetting potential choices, two people with knowledge of the matter told the AP.

The list of possibilities could expand or shift. But Harris, who has locked up the delegates she will need to be the Democratic nominee, hopes to finish the process in time for delegates to also vote on her running mate when they hold a virtual roll call vote in the first few days of August, ahead of the Democratic National Convention. The goal, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter, is to keep the process drama-free, as Harris and Democrats try to project confidence after an extraordinarily tumultuous few weeks for the party.

The Democratic National Convention runs from Aug. 19 – Aug. 22.

A reporter asked Cooper on Tuesday whether he would take his message outside of North Carolina.

“I have been communicating the same story about the Democratic ticket for the for the past year, talking about the extraordinary accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration,” Cooper said.

Presidential historian discusses what presidential candidates look for in running mates

WRAL News spoke with presidential historian Michael Beschloss about what presidential nominees typically look for in a running mate. He discussed how presidents and vice presidents need to be personally compatible.

“He brings geography [and] compatibility with Kamla Harris,” Beschloss said of Cooper.

Cooper has known Harris for 20 years.

The consideration of Cooper comes after Biden fell just 1.4 percentage points — or 75,000 votes — short of winning North Carolina in 2020. Cooper has also run and won statewide races in every presidential election year dating back to 2000, when he was first elected attorney general.

History of NC candidates on presidential tickets

It’s been 20 years since a North Carolinian was on a presidential ticket: Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards was on John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.

Edwards served only one term as a U.S. Senator before Kerry picked him to be his running mate in 2004.

Beschloss said North Carolina has changed since 2004.

Kerry picked Edwards, a charismatic trial attorney, after Edwards built some name recognition in the party primaries. Edwards finished with the second-most delegates.

“There were people in 2004, when John Edwards was put on the ticket with John Kerry, who said ‘North Carolina is seriously in play and John Edwards will bring North Carolina to the ticket,’” Beschloss said. “Both of those statements were wrong.”

Kerry and Edwards lost the 2004 presidential race to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In 2004, Bush won North Carolina by a 12.44% margin of victory.

Bush won North Carolina by 12.83% in the 2000 election.

It’s been since 1865 since someone from North Carolina made it to the White House. Vice President Andrew Johnson became president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.