Governor Roy Cooper set to deliver State of State Address

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- "The future of North Carolina is really bright," said Governor Roy Cooper's Communication Director, Ford Porter.

He shared that after a few challenging years during the pandemic, we're now seeing major investments into the state's economy pay off big time, with high-profile economic development wins from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

It's these wins, plus the job growth that political experts said Cooper will address at his fourth State of the State address on Monday, March 6.

"I think the governor's address is really going to say, how do we leverage these historic once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to ensure benefit for all of our state as the economy moves forward," said Porter.

The path forward also includes spelling out his priorities.

"The governor's priorities are pretty practical. It's how do we build and support safer, healthier communities where you want to raise your family can find a good job," said Porter.

He said that means investing in quality law enforcement, providing expanded access to health care, and investing in mental health.

"Particularly for young people who we've seen struggle coming out of this pandemic," Porter said.

Mitch Kokai, Senior Political Analyst with the John Locke Foundation said we can also expect Cooper to talk about the steps needed to push key issues to the finish line of the Medicaid expansion agreement that will benefit hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.

"We haven't seen a bill yet. There hasn't been a vote. So, Governor Cooper will be talking about the steps lawmakers will have to take to go ahead and finalize Medicaid expansion," he said.

Kokai said beyond that, Cooper will address the budget.

"This will be his last two-year budget plan as governor, and he'll talk about all the things that he wants to see within that budget. I suspect there will be calls for substantial increases in education funding, including higher teacher pay," said Kokai. "I suspect he'll also be talking about his energy priorities. He's been talking quite a bit about boosting wind and solar energy and getting more electric vehicles on the roads, all kinds of things that are tied to this green energy idea."

The State of the State address will start at 7:01 p.m. when Gov. Cooper enters the House Chamber.