page_title: Roy Cooper
section_title: 2016
hierarchical_section_title: Roy Cooper / Governor of North Carolina / Elections / 2016
caption_attribution_description: Attempting to stop Armageddon
context_page_description: Roy Asberry Cooper III is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 75th Governor of North Carolina since January 1, 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Cooper had previously served as the elected Attorney General of North Carolina since 2001. Prior to that, he served in the General Assembly in both the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina Senate.
  He defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory for the governorship in a close race in the 2016 election. On December 5, McCrory conceded the election, making Cooper the first challenger since 1850 to defeat a sitting North Carolina Governor. Cooper took office on January 1, 2017. The Republican-dominated legislature passed bills in a special session before he took office to reduce the power of the governor's office. The legislature has overridden several of his vetoes of legislation.
context_section_description: Cooper ran for Governor of North Carolina in the 2016 election against incumbent Republican Pat McCrory. In March 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act—commonly known as "House Bill 2"—which McCrory signed into law. Numerous corporations began boycotting the state in protest of the law, cancelling job investment and expansion plans. Cooper denounced the law as unconstitutional and refused to defend it in court in his capacity as attorney general.
  As a result of the economic damage caused by the law, McCrory's approval rating dramatically fell in the months preceding the election. The election was narrow, and when initial results showed Cooper had an advantage, McCrory claimed without evidence that the election had been manipulated by voter fraud. Recounts resulted in slightly higher margins of victory for Cooper, and, after an extended legal battle, McCrory conceded the election on December 5. Out of 4.7 million total ballots, Cooper won by a margin 10,227 votes.
caption: Cooper campaigning in October 2016
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