RALEIGH — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper was elected to a position on the National Governors Association (NGA) Executive Committee on Friday, July 15 during the organization’s summer meeting in Portland, Maine.
The Summer Meeting is one of the two annual convenings of the NGA, the bipartisan organization representing governors from the 55 states and territories. The meeting was the first time governors have gathered in person for the Summer Meeting since 2019.
New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was selected as the new chairman and Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox was selected as the new vice chairman.
The NGA Executive Committee, which guides NGA’s operations and priorities, consists of nine members. The rest of the committee includes Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas) Jared Polis (Colorado), Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Kathy Hochul, (New York), Doug Burgum, (North Dakota) and Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma).
In additional Summer Meeting plenary sessions, the governors discussed K-12 computer science education, recovery of travel and tourism industries, and early childhood literacy.
“At a time when Americans across the country are eager for bipartisan cooperation, I believe that the NGA has a unique opportunity to achieve progress on critical priorities like public health and economic recovery,” said Murphy. “As NGA Chair, I’m committed to collaborating with the nation’s Governors on bipartisan solutions.”
Cooper’s joining of the committee is the latest move by the second-term governor to expand his national profile.
Already, Cooper is chairing the Democratic Governors Association this year, a post that allows Cooper to help elect Democratic governors across the nation, and a way to connect with a national donor base.
Articles from media outlets such as The Washington Post have identified Cooper as a potential candidate for president in 2024 if Joe Biden opts to not run for a second term.
