Christensen predicts that Coop will run

N&O columnist Rob Christensen predicts that in 2009:

Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, will take steps to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr in 2010. Cooper is the Democrat that North Carolina Republicans most fear.

Rob warns that as far as predicting goes, he got "about everything wrong last year."

From NC AG to US Senate: a historical overview

Established by the state's first constitution in 1776, the office of Attorney General of North Carolina has been a stepping-stone for some of its occupants (including Gov. Mike Easley).

So let's review the attorneys general who later moved on to the United States Senate, as we hope Coop will do:

• Matt Ransom (D) was attorney general in the 1850s, and served in the Senate from 1872 to 1895. He was not elected by the people to either office, since at the time, both the attorney general and U.S. senators were elected by the state legislature.
• Robert Morgan (D) would be very similar to Coop, if Coop runs and wins in 2010. Like Coop, Morgan served in the legislature before being elected Attorney General in 1968. In 1974, Morgan was elected to the Senate to succeed the retiring Sam Ervin. He was defeated for a second term in 1980.

Coop's three most recent predecessors in the office (Rufus Edmisten, Lacy Thornburg and Easley) all ran for Governor. Only one was successful. Will Coop become the third North Carolina Attorney General to sit in the Senate, or does he want to follow the other route by running for Governor someday?

Coop quoted in NY Times

A hat tip to a Draft Coop reader and supporter, Matthew Cornelius, who pointed us to this amazing New York Times piece:
White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire

AG Roy Cooper is the only state official quoted in the article (see page 3).

Coop at work, and Brad Miller is out

WRAL has two good pieces of news related to the Attorney General....

First, Coop continues to work hard to protect North Carolina consumers: http://www.wral.com/business/story/4142749/

Second, Brad Miller won't run for Senate in 2010:
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/4145618/

This blog has "arrived"...

Because we've been mentioned on Under the Dome, the N&O blog. We were also mentioned by Tom Jensen on the PPP blog, which is where the UTD post comes from. Thanks, guys.

Meanwhile, a round-up of news...
CQ Politics: Eye on the Senate
Coop fights fraud in Hickory
Coop warns North Carolinians about identity theft
Coop: Follow these tips when giving to charity

Also, check out Senate Guru, a blog for Senate race news and analysis, where this blog has also been mentioned: http://www.senateguru.com/

First poll shows Coop ahead!

Under the Dome reports on the first poll of the 2010 Senate race, which pits incumbent Burr against -- you guessed it -- Coop! The result is pretty good:

"The poll shows a competitive race, with Cooper leading Burr by five points, 39 to 34 percent. It also shows Burr with a 32 percent approval rating, compared to Cooper's 44 percent approval.
'If Attorney General Roy Cooper decides to run for the Senate in 2010, you can put Richard Burr's name right to the top of the list of endangered incumbents nationally,' writes pollster Tom Jensen."

Richard Moore?

Although some see the possibility of state Treasurer Richard Moore running against Coop for the 2010 Senate nomination, Tom Jensen throws cold water on the idea.

I tend to agree with Tom. There is little evidence that Moore is interested in running. Still, he would be a formidable candidate.

Senate race on Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/22/12502/182/928/663167

Check out the discussion of the 2010 North Carolina race on the Daily Kos.

Coop gets lots of favorable mentions.

Why Roy Cooper?

This blog has been created to draft North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010. If this idea has any support, I hope you'll respond on this blog, potentially giving General Cooper some encouragement to make this run.

So why Roy Cooper?

First off, Roy Cooper has been a successful Attorney General. In office, he has worked on protecting children, battling meth labs, and increasing DNA testing of crime scene evidence. He was widely praised for his handling of the Duke Lacrosse team rape controversy.

Second, he has proven 3 times that he can win a statewide race. The people of North Carolina responded to his success in office by re-electing him on Nov. 4, 2008 with more votes than any person on the statewide ballot.

Third, as a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Roy Cooper knows how to be an effective legislator. In the legislature, he wrote the state's child health insurance bill. During part of his tenure in the state Senate, Roy Cooper was Senate Majority Leader. He will be a leader in the United States Senate.

And I'm sure there are many more reasons. What do you think?

On the web: http://www.roycooper.com/index.asp (Cooper Campaign site); http://www.ncdoj.com/ (NC Department of Justice site)