North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper withdraws from race to be Harris' running mate

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement on Monday night signaling that he's removed himself from contention as a vice presidential running mate for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

"I strongly support Vice President Harris' campaign for President. I know she's going to win and I was honored 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," he said in a post on X.

"As l'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," he added.

Moments after Cooper issued his statement, he delivered remarks on a grassroots organizing call, "White Dudes for Harris," but did not address withdrawing as a possible running mate. The governor instead took the time to boost Harris' candidacy, saying, "We know that this country needs Kamala Harris more than ever right now, and we can hold the key now."

Cooper previously announced his support for Harris' presidential campaign. On July 21, he formally endorsed the vice president, writing, "Kamala Harris should be the next President. I’ve known @VP going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity. I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket."

Cooper, who is the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, was seen as a possible top contender for Harris' 2024 election ticket to expand the Democratic Party's reach into swing states.

If Cooper were to join Harris' campaign, however, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson would become active governor while Cooper is on the campaign trail, under constitutional law. Robinson is the Republican party's nominee for governor in the state, in the race to replace Cooper who is term-limited from running for a third time. Robinson is currently fighting a competitive race against the Democratic nominee, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

Other rumored contenders for Harris' running mate include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Harris could be nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee starting as soon as Thursday, with DNC delegates to vote for her through a virtual roll call ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which will kick off in Chicago on Aug. 19. The DNCC's Rules Committee has passed a plan that requires their presidential nominee to be selected by Aug. 7, but a vice presidential nomination is not necessarily bound by the same deadline, according to the rules. Democratic leaders have said, however, that the vice president will likely be chosen by that Aug. 7 date.

Harris emerged as the only competitive challenger in the race, with the window to declare intent to run for the presidential nomination now closed. She has secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting -- with a number of state parties having announced that their delegations to the convention will support her.