Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the majority of delegates, it seems likely that the former U.S. Senator will be the next presidential candidate for the party in this fall’s election. Harris previously served in the Senate as the junior member out of California from 2017 to 2021, when she was inaugurated as Joe Biden’s VP, and was the attorney general of the Golden State prior to that from 2011 to 2017.
Ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which runs from Aug. 19-22, it’s worth wondering who Harris will tab as her running mate against former President Donald Trump, who accepted the Republican Party’s nomination at the party’s convention earlier this month.
Oddsmakers at Bet365 in Canada have kept a keen eye on the race to be Harris’ right-hand running mate, with North Carolina’s current governor initially among the favorites, as Roy Cooper’s vice president odds were listed at +450 before he pulled his name from consideration on July 29.
BetCarolina.com is your home to Cooper's political odds, whether he reenters the VP race in due time or perhaps makes his own run to the Oval Office down the road.
Also: Political Betting in North Carolina 2024.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro | +120 |
Arizona U.S. Sen Mark Kelly | +150 |
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper | +450 |
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear | +1400 |
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz | +1400 |
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg | +1400 |
Odds verified on July 28, 2024 |
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Odds posted by bet365 in Ontario before Cooper pulled out of the running on July 29.
While political betting is a popular market in Canada and Europe, it is not allowed in the U.S., including NC sports betting apps.
Cooper was among the top Democrats in a race many believe is critical to Harris' chances of a November win. However, Cooper's vice president odds are no off the board given that he’s publicly stated he’s not interested in joining the ticket.
Cooper wasn't overtly campaigning to get the nod, though he did tell national media that the 2024 election runs through North Carolina, while making appearances on Democratic Party hotbeds like MSNBC in the days after Biden formally dropped out of the race.
During that TV appearance, Cooper dodged questions about whether he’d be Harris’ running-mate but did vouch for the work that his staff had done in the state since first entering the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh in 2017.
Should Harris have gone with Cooper, it’d likely open up a state that the Democrats haven’t won on a presidential level since 2008, when Barack Obama was victorious statewide.
It doesn’t seem likely. Cooper said as much during his recent appearance on MSNBC, when he told the show’s anchors that he wanted to ensure that Harris emerged victorious, stopping Trump from returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“If you want a candidate that can put Donald Trump’s destruction of Roe vs. Wade at center stage, if you want a candidate who actually prosecuted criminals like Donald Trump, and if you want a candidate who can put Trump’s age and fitness in the forefront, Kamala Harris is the person,” Cooper told MSNBC. “We talked about North Carolina. She’s excited to win this thing, and I am, too.”
Since Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, Cooper had been front-and-center in the party’s discussions about who would run alongside Harris, thanks in large part to his ability to win two elections in a state that’s skewed Republican for decades.
Cooper’s two terms in Raleigh have seen a lot of action, with the state legalizing mobile sports betting statewide in 2023 and the Democratic Party governor earning a reputation of being a bipartisan dealmaker for his ability to get things done with members of the Republican Party, both as a legislator and governor.
Prior to winning his first statewide election in 2016 over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, 49.02%-to-48.80%, Cooper ran unopposed to be the state’s attorney general in 2012, after he beat Republican Bob Crumley, 61.1%-to-38.9% four years prior, Joe Knott, 55.61%-to-44.39% in 2004 and Dan Boyce, 51.21%-to-46.40% in 2000.
Cooper previously served in the North Carolina General Assembly from 1987-1991 (in the State House) and 1991-2001 (in the State Senate), after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1979.
The Nashville, N.C. native first served in the state’s 72nd State House district in Nash County before moving on to bigger and better things, giving him a shot at serving the country at large alongside Harris in November.
USA Today photo by Jamey Cross.
Oddsmakers at Bet365 listed Cooper at +450 to be Harris’ VP candidate before he pulled his name from consideration on July 29.
Yes. He is a natural-born U.S. citizen, is at least 35 and has been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years prior to accepting the nomination.
No. Cooper previously won elections to be North Carolina’s governor in 2016 and 2020 and as the state’s attorney general in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Prior to that, Cooper served in the North Carolina Legislature, including stints in the State House from 1987-1991 and in the State Senate from 1991-2001.
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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