One Duke University professor believes his name is one to "keep an eye on" if Joe Biden decides not to run in 2024.
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"It's hard not to ask who are some of the prominent governors around the country and who are some of the current governors if they got the Democratic nomination that might be able to appeal to a broad enough audience that they can win the White House," said Frank Bruni, professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke.
He suggested Cooper's name in a guest op-ed for the New York Times this week alongside Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren among others. Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg and Gretchen Whitmer are names to pay "close attention to."
Bruni wrote for the paper for 25 years and had stints as a White House correspondent and Op-Ed Columnist.
"We also don't know if he has the kind of charisma that plays out on a national stage," Bruni said. "I think he is very well-liked as much as one figure in one political party can be."
It seems many like him too as a middle of the road candidate in a time of polarization.
A recent High Point University poll showed that while President Biden has just 32% approval ratings, Governor Cooper was at nearly 45%.
We asked the Governor Wednesday about Bruni's op-ed.
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"I think we've got a good President right now. President Biden has done a fantastic job."
Steve Greene, professor of political science at NC State University, is someone who has long thought Cooper could make a national run.
"He has shown the types of bipartisan skills honestly that a lot of general election voters want to see in a presidential election but again there are so many ifs in this," Greene said. "He is also not a particularly divisive figure and he has worked with Republicans when he is needed."
Bruni said Cooper would have to scale up as a fundraiser and raise his national profile. He said his stint at head of the Democratic Governors Association should help.
He also wonders if Cooper has the burning desire to run.
"That's a long way from having the intense fire to go through the whole of a Presidential campaign," Bruni said. "It is a grueling and gutting endeavor and I don't know at the end of the day if it's what Roy Cooper wants for himself or wants to endure."