Democrat Governor of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has withdrawn himself from being a potential vice president pick for Kamala Harris.

Cooper, who was previously vetted by the Harris campaign, informed Kamala’s team that he was withdrawing himself as being available to serve as Kamala’s running mate.

With Cooper withdrawing himself as a potential VP, Harris now has Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg all still on her list of potential VP candidates.

Harris is expected to pick her running mate by August 7.

JUST IN: Gov. Roy Cooper Withdraws Name From Harris’s Vice-Presidential Short-List pic.twitter.com/5QudYjnQPD

— Anthony Scott (@AnthonyScottTGP) July 29, 2024

Breaking News: Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina is said to have taken himself out of the running to be Kamala Harris’s running mate. https://t.co/kcgrpOxLag

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 29, 2024

The New York Times broke the story:

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, who has been seen as a leading contender to become Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, has informed her team that he has withdrawn from the vice-presidential sweepstakes, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Mr. Cooper, who previously served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, was believed to be among the half-dozen top candidates to join Ms. Harris on the Democratic ticket.

It was not immediately clear why he had taken himself out of consideration. A spokesman for the Harris campaign declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Mr. Cooper.

Mr. Cooper has known Ms. Harris dating to their overlapping days as state attorneys general and also campaigned recently with her. He has twice won governor’s races in North Carolina, a battleground state, even as Donald J. Trump carried the state at the presidential level. Mr. Cooper is prohibited from seeking a third term.

Mr. Cooper, 67, is older than Ms. Harris, 59, but still a decade younger than Mr. Trump.

Ms. Harris is seeking to select a running mate on a highly compressed timeline, aiming to make her choice by Aug. 7 — a little more than two weeks after she entered the race to replace President Biden on the Democratic ticket.

Besides Mr. Cooper, those known to be under serious consideration include Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.) has withdrawn from Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate sweepstakes – NYT

— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) July 29, 2024

Per KTVZ:

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken himself out of consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential running mate, according to one source familiar with the discussions.