Cooper al dente?

North Carolina Democrats are "beginning to zero in" on Attorney General Roy Cooper as a possible Senate candidate, according to a Washington, D.C. newspaper.

Roll Call reported ($) on Monday that "a state party official" confirmed that Cooper is on a short list of names that includes Gov. Mike Easley, state Sen. Kay Hagan, state Rep. Grier Martin and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Hugh Shelton.

As Dome has noted before, U.S. Rep. Brad Miller is the only one who will say he is seriously considering a run against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, while Easley is not likely and Cooper says he likes his current job.

A Republican quoted in the story said they are not worried about Dole's challenger:

But Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Democrats are just aimlessly throwing pasta against the wall to see what sticks.