After nearly a month following Election Day and a call for a statewide recount, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory released a YouTube video of himself conceding and clearing the way for Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper.
The former Attorney General deems himself as a trusted leader and family man. So who is the next Governor of the Tar Heel state and what does he plan to do? Here's four fast facts along with further information on North Carolina's Governor-Elect.
1. Born, raised and educated in North Carolina, Roy Cooper has spent his life in the Tar Heel state.
Cooper was born in Nash County in 1957. He attended public schools and worked summers with his brother on their parent's tobacco farm. Although the farm had been in the family for years, it was not their main source of income.
"His mother, Beverly Cooper, worked as a school teacher and his father, Roy Cooper Jr., farmed and practiced law," his website says.
According to the North Carolina Department of Justice, Cooper received both his undergraduate and law degrees at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
According to his website, after college Cooper returned home to become a small-town lawyer like his father. However, during an interview with News Observer, Cooper said it was his father who incited his career in politics.
The two were discussing potential candidates to challenge "an entrenched state House incumbent" when his father asked why he wasn't running, launching a successful run to the North Carolina House of Representatives.
This position led to a seat in the North Carolina Senate where Cooper served as chairman of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee. In 1997, he was chosen as the Democratic Majority Leader. He continued to serve in the General Assembly until 2001, when he ran against Dan Boyce for North Carolina Attorney General. After his initial win, Cooper continued to win re-election to the office in 2004, 2008 and ran unopposed in 2012.
According to WNCN, in October of 2015 Cooper said that he felt the state was on the right path during his childhood, but no longer.
"The crowd that is in charge in Raleigh is leading us down the wrong path," Cooper said.
Cooper officially filed to run for governor of North Carolina on December 8, 2015 and won the Democratic primary on March 15, 2016.
2. Cooper is the father of three girls, Hilary, Natalie and Claire, all who were active throughout his campaign.
Thank you! pic.twitter.com/gaMB5DCRwr
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) December 5, 2016
Roy Cooper is married to Kristin, who according to the North Carolina Department of Justice is a fellow attorney. They have three girls together, all of which took part in his campaign.
Cooper's daughters regular contributions consisted of voicing one of his television commercials as well as blog posts on his website.
"How can I tell you about our dad, and what he means to me?"https://t.co/HL0iQxoeD1
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) August 9, 2016
One of their blog posts was titled, 10 things you don't know about my Dad, Roy Cooper, and included fun facts about North Carolina's next governor including his passion for Star Trek, cereal and Tom Petty.
3. Cooper plans on repealing House Bill 2.
A key issue between the Gubernatorial candidates was House Bill II or "the bathroom law."
The controversial bill forbids transgender people from using the bathroom they identify with and enforces that they use the public restroom that correlates with the gender they were born. The Charlotte Chamber estimated that HB2 has deeply impacted the economy with more than $285 million lost as well as over 1,300 Charlotte area jobs lost. Raleigh estimated $40 million in losses.
Throughout the race, Cooper reiterated the importance of repealing House Bill II while McCrory defended it.
"We know that HB2 is wrong because it writes discrimination into our law," Cooper said. "What we have to do is bring the business community together, bring civil rights groups together, educators together and lets get this general assembly to repeal the law."
4. Cooper's top priorities are education, jobs and economy, health care, environment and voting rights.
One of Cooper's campaign ads linked his priority of education back to his mother, a school teacher.
"We have to give more pay and respect to teachers, and to treat them as the professionals they are," Cooper's website says in his education plan. "Among the top priorities are increasing teacher pay, reversing cuts to textbooks and school buses, and stopping teacher assistant lay-offs."
Another of the Governor-elect's concerns is the dropping unemployment. In his jobs plan, Cooper echoes the importance of a stronger economic-development.
His plan outlines long-term structural changes, infrastructure and economic development, economy boosts, regional focus, marking smart investments and helping small businesses grow.
Expanding Medicaid is on the top governor's to-do list regarding health care. According to his website, he believes it will give North Carolina more providers and an economic boost from jobs.
According to his website, Governor-Elect Cooper's environment plan pursues sound policy that preserves natural resources and public health. Former efforts Cooper has supported as a legislator and Attorney General include North Carolina's Clean Smokestacks Act, alternate energy production and sustainable power supplies than coal.
One of Roy Cooper's campaign ads focused solely on his these priorities. Watch here:
