N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper has decided not to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr next year, dissapointing Democrats who saw him as potentially their strongest candidate.
"While I am honored by the encouragement I've received, I don't want to go to Washington and serve as a U.S. Senator at this time," Cooper said in a statement. "I am committed to public service and I want to serve here in North Carolina rather than in Washington."
Cooper, a three-term attorney general, has been aggressively recruited by both the state and national Democratic parties to challenge Burr.
He met earlier in the week in the White House with President Barack Obama.
Cooper, 51, is a former legislator who has an image as a moderate, anti-crime Democrat. His popularity rose after he dismissed rape charges against three Duke lacrosse players in 2007 in a case that drew national attention.
He had seriously considered running for governor in 2008.
Although North Carolina has tended to vote Republican in U.S. Senate races in recent decades, last year's resounding defeat of GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole by Democrat Kay Hagan, has given Democrats reason for optimism.
Cooper's decision was made before he was to begin a trial, in which he is defending himself from a slander suit brought by his Republican opponent in the 2000 attorney general race.
The trial involved charges by Dan Boyce that Cooper maligned him by incorrectly stating that Boyce reaped big legal fees from a lawsuit involving tax refunds.
Full statement after the jump.
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Dear Friends:
A few weeks after I took the oath of office for my third term as Attorney General, many of you asked me to consider becoming a U.S. Senator in 2010. Because this can be an important way to help the people of North Carolina, my family and I considered it. While I am honored by the encouragement I've received, I don't want to go to Washington and serve as a U.S. Senator at this time. I am committed to public service and I want to serve here in North Carolina rather than in Washington.
Right now, I'm moving forward with ways to make the lives of North Carolinians better and safer, even during these challenging times. We're pushing for new laws and helping people struggling with bad loans, debt and foreclosure. At my request, the Governor just signed an executive order this week to begin "StreetSafe", a project that will
reduce the number of repeat offenders and cut the crime rate by coordinating nonprofits, businesses, faith-based initiatives, and government to rehabilitate people who have committed crimes.
I am taking action right here in North Carolina to boost our economy, bolster education, improve our health care and make us more secure. I will continue to need your ideas and help. I am grateful for your encouragement and support.
Roy Cooper
Comments
Re: Cooper not running for Senate
May 25, 2009 - 10:36pm — chrisbrownThe trial was not "postponed." Cooper lawyers appealed for the fifth time last week. This is what caused the trial not to start. The trial has now been put off by delays and appeals for nine years.
It came out that "Coop" himself was one of the hundreds of intangibles taxpayer clients in the case he used for his TV ad. He himself and no other client paid any fee in the case. Cooper said Dan Boyce "charged $28,000 an hour." All the taxpayers in the case got all their tax money refunded with no cost, no fee. I was in the case too and so were a lot of other people I know. We had no lawyer fees in the case.
Coopers lawyers and three law firms have lost all four of their appeals, even the one to the U.S. Supreme Court.
CB
Re: Cooper not running for Senate
May 16, 2009 - 12:41am — HarleyRickPlea deal or dirty laundry to follow!
Correction
May 15, 2009 - 12:21pm — ryanteaguebeckwith (author)An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the Cooper-Boyce trial would begin Monday. It has been postponed.
— RTB
Re: Cooper not running for Senate
May 15, 2009 - 12:16pm — lpetrouNow that he is not running for the U.S. Senate maybe he can start to do his job and start investigating the corruption in NC among the Democrats who have been in control of the state for over 100 years.
Right Choice
May 15, 2009 - 11:28am — PoliticalJunkieHopefully this will free Cooper up to start prosecuting all the crooked Democrat elected official in this State. It is apparent we can't count on Democrat Primary voters to root the massive amounts of corruption in their party out at the ballot box.
A good first step would be taking Phil Berger's suggestion to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Easley.