(The Center Square) – Trajectories and responsibilities for many politicians altered significantly on the coattails of former President Joe Biden’s announcement a year ago Monday that he would drop out of the 2024 election.
In North Carolina, suddenly Gov. Roy Cooper was thrust into the national spotlight as a vice-presidential candidate for new Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Cooper eventually stepped out and she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Nash County native finished his second term and now – rather than possibly in a role in the administration of Democratic president as he was suspected to land – is considering how to help his state and party in the era of second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Senate is a possibility.
Harris’ belief she could be the third Democrat in 60 years to carry the state didn’t materialize. Trump won it for the third straight year, though his election didn’t help carry a number of toss-up races – notably Laurie Buckhout’s challenge to Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., in the 1st Congressional District; the only matchup of exiting U.S. House of Representatives members, Republican Dan Bishop and Democrat Jeff Jackson for attorney general; and Republican Michele Morrow’s tussle with Democrat Mo Green for education superintendent.
Biden left the race just two months after polling for the gubernatorial race had been considered close, with some polls – Mark Robinson led three polls taken between April 25 and June 2 – having candidates Josh Stein and Robinson in a toss-up. News had just broken that Stein, the Democratic attorney general, ended the second fundraising quarter with $15.9 million available and Robinson, the Republican lieutenant governor, far behind at $6.6 million.
Stein continued pulling away in the polls, and CNN landed the haymaker in September with a story tying Robinson 12 to 16 years earlier to a porn chatroom – prompting Trump to abandon the man he had previously said was “Martin Luther King on steroids.” More than 5 million people voted and Stein won 54.9%-40.1%.
With 103 days to Election Day four days after the announcement, Democrats were more flush in six of the 10 Council of State races yet would only go on to win five. When Nov. 5 was done, Republicans’ 6-4 majority had come to an end; three of the 10 seats flipped, and the partisanship was 5-5.
It will never be known how the races would have played out if Biden stayed in against Trump. As is, Democrats lost the White House, Republicans lost their Council of State edge, and whether Cooper would have a role better than landing in the 2026 U.S. Senate race remains unknown.
