FILE - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper arrives to speak at a campaign event in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

FILE - Roy Cooper is sworn in as North Carolina governor shortly after midnight at the historic state Capitol Building in Raleigh, N.C., early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, Pool, File)

FILE - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, center left, watches a robotics team at Nashville Elementary School in Nashville, N.C., direct its vehicle in the school library, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson, File)

FILE - Gov. Roy Cooper heads back to the podium to answer questions during a briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, File)

FILE - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unveils a report during a press conference in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson, File)