Roy Cooper’s life after the mansion: Sweaters, sports, driving and perhaps the Senate
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The Final Days of the Cooper Administration
After eight years in office, the tenure of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is coming to a close. Here’s coverage from The News & Observer that looks at the Democrat’s two terms and what’s next.
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Roy Cooper’s life after the mansion: Sweaters, sports, driving and perhaps the Senate
Welcome to the governor-elect edition of our Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief, and for the last newsletter of the year, we’re switching gears to look at the man who’s leaving the Executive Mansion.
When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, 2024 will come to a close, as will the two terms of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The next governor will be Josh Stein.
So what’s next for Cooper — both in work, life and behind the wheel? For starters, he may not be done in politics.
Here’s more on that and the rest of Cooper’s future, with several photos of his time in office. If you want to read more about policy and legacy, we have a story about that, too.
Cooper will look at Senate race
Cooper has been coy for months about what exactly he’ll do next, aside from repeatedly saying he wanted to stay in public service. He has said, however, that running for U.S. Senate in 2026 is on the table.
The 2026 Senate race is set to be a very expensive one, with incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis already kicking off his reelection campaign with a fundraiser.
I asked Cooper what he needed to check off his list first.
“I’m going to take the next two months and not make any decisions about going forward. I’ve been in public service a while. I’m going to take some time to see what the next chapter is. For me, I want to continue to make a difference,” Cooper told The N&O in mid-December.
And, (running for Senate) “will be one of the things I look at as a potential.”
What Roy Cooper will miss about the NC Executive Mansion
“The space.”
“Oh my gosh, the culling and sorting that has now begun, of stuff that you just accumulate over the years,” Cooper said.
“I don’t know, I might ask Gov.-elect Stein to give me another week, because really, these last few months, it’s so busy with the storm and everything that I’m just going to have to have some more time. I’m a pack rat anyway. So, new sweaters piled on the floor that I buy, things like that,” Cooper said.
You heard it from Cooper himself: he’s a pack rat who likes sweaters.
The Executive Mansion is more than just a governor’s residence; it is also where governors greet dignitaries and hold events, including speeches and press conferences.
What Roy Cooper will drive after being governor
As governor, Cooper has a security detail and didn’t drive himself anywhere.
Cooper said he doesn’t know if he’ll buy a new car, as he lent one of his daughters his old car for the past eight years. If he does, given his big push for electric vehicles, does that mean it’ll be an electric car?
“I think that’s the plan. I’ve got to look,” Cooper said.
Cooper, still with the sports quips
One thing that is unlikely to change about Cooper’s future is his love of UNC-Chapel Hill sports and his penchant for dad jokes.
Cooper combined those two things in commenting on UNC choosing former NFL coach Bill Belichick as its football coach:
“The great thing is, it’s going to get Carolina football on SportsCenter every other night,” Cooper said. “There are inherent risks here, but I guess, Carolina football, with its head coach, just wanted to go younger.”
Belichick is 72. Former Carolina coach Mack Brown is 73.
No doubt, leaving office will give Cooper more time to enjoy sports — at least until his next act.
Stay informed about #ncpol
Listen to our Under the Dome podcast to stay up to date. On our new episode posting Monday, it’s our year-in-review episode with Korie Dean and Avi Bajpai.
Already thinking about 2025? Catch up on last week’s newsletter, when I shared details about Stein’s inauguration on Jan. 11.
You can sign up to receive the Under the Dome newsletter at newsobserver.com/newsletters. Want your friends to get our email, too? Forward them this newsletter so they can sign up. You can also email me questions you may have about Stein at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
This story was originally published December 22, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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