Roy Cooper’s officially in race now for North Carolina governor

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Roy Cooper is officially in the race for North Carolina governor next year.

The sitting Democratic attorney general made it clear long ago he wanted to unseat Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, but Cooper’s campaign said his candidacy paperwork was filed Tuesday afternoon at the State Board of Elections. A board document shows a Cooper representative filed the notice on his behalf.

Cooper held a gubernatorial campaign kickoff rally in October in his native Nash County. McCrory has yet to file his notice to seek re-election but held a similar rally last week in Kernersville. Democrat Ken Spaulding of Durham also plans to run for governor.

More than 1,100 people have filed to be candidates for hundreds of races since filing began Dec. 1. Filing ends at noon Dec. 21.

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