Cooper tells NC Democrats it’s not early to think about 2016

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Attorney General Roy Cooper says he’ll keep speaking out against Republican policies during the new North Carolina legislative session that convenes Wednesday.

Cooper also told about 300 Democratic activists at a Tuesday luncheon that he would back efforts to raise teacher pay across the board and to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of additional residents.

Cooper is the highest-profile elected Democrat in state politics and has hinted strongly for more than a year that he’ll try to unseat GOP Gov. Pat McCrory in 2016.

He said in an interview he’s isn’t quite ready to formally enter the 2016 race because people aren’t ready yet for campaigning again. But he also told the Lillian’s List crowd it’s not too early to be thinking about the ballot box.

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