2024 Election Game (Gameplay Thread)

[Schiff for Senate]

@RoyCooperNC on Twitter: “Looks like Donald Trump, three years after the election, is still deluding himself and his supporters that he won. Well, @realDonaldTrump, if I win the nomination and square off against you, you’d better brace yourself to lose for a second time.”

[Schiff for Senate]

@RoyCooperNC on Twitter: “No, Donald Trump, I was elected Governor because the people of North Carolina reject hate, division, transphobia and bigotry. Hopefully, the people of America will also spurn these things, that are so antithetical to our nation’s values, and elect neither you nor the equally bigoted Ron DeSantis to the White House.”

[Schiff for Senate]

@RoyCooperNC on Twitter: "The projection here is astounding. It is Donald Trump (a man who has made innumerable bigoted comments about Mexicans and Muslims, who has made disgusting, objectifying and sexist comments about women) and his party that have passed dozens of bigoted laws targeting trans and gay children, in places from Florida and Alabama to Utah and Indiana. Let me be as clear as can be: the Democratic Party stands against all bigotry, whether it be racism, homophobia, transphobia or any other bigotry. It was partly on that theme that I won the 2016 governor election in North Carolina. It's partly on that theme that I intend to win the White House this November."

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER'S CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE, December 1 - January 18

Iowa (December 1 to December 23)

North & South Carolina (December 24 to January 3)

New Hampshire (January 4 to January 18)




[Details from Cooper's campaigning in both Iowa and New Hampshire will be released in separate posts. A list of all endorsements Cooper's presidential campaign has received will also be posted.]

[Schiff for Senate]

LIST OF ENDORSEMENTS FOR ROY COOPER

Louisiana
Former New Orleans Mayor & gubernatorial candidate MITCH LANDRIEU
State Senator CLEO FIELDS
State Senator JOSEPH BOUIE, JR
State Senator JOSEPH LUNEAU
State Senator GARY L. SMITH
State Senator GERALD BOUDREAUX
Former State Senator & Former Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party KAREN CARTER PETERSON
New Orleans Mayor LaTOYA CANTRELL


South Carolina
State Senate Minority Leader BRAD HUTTO
State Senator KARL B. ALLEN
State Senator & Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party DICK HARPOOTLIAN
Charleston Mayor JOHN TECKLENBURG
State Senator GERALD MALLOY
State Senator KENT WILLIAMS
Allendale County Councillor WILLIAM ROBINSON
Allendale County Councillor THERESA TAYLOR
Charleston County Councillor HENRY DARBY
Charleston County Councillor TEDDY PRYOR
Charleston County Councillor KYLON J. MIDDLETON
Charleston County Councillor ANNE JOHNSON
Greenville City Councillor LILLIAN BROCK-FLEMING
Bamberg Mayor NANCY FOSTER
Bamberg County Councillor SHARON HAMMOND
Bamberg County Councillor LARRY HAYNES
Bamberg County Councillor JONATHAN GOODMAN
Bamberg County Councillor SPENCER DONALDSON
Bishopville City Councillor ENNIS BRYANT, SR.
Fairfield County Councillor SHIRLEY GREENE
Fairfield County Councillor TIMOTHY ROSEBOROUGH


New Hampshire
US Representative CHRIS PAPPAS
All 10 Democratic state senators (Tom Sherman, Cindy Rosenwald, Jay Kahn, Suzanne Prentiss, Rebecca Kwoka, Kevin Cavanaugh, Lou D'Allesandro, Becky Whitley, Donna Soucy, David Watters)


Iowa
State Attorney General TOM MILLER
Des Moines Mayor FRANK COWNIE
Iowa City Mayor BRUCE TEAGUE
Dubuque Mayor BRAD M. CAVANAGH
State Senate Minority Leader ZACH WAHLS
State Senator TODD TAYLOR
State Senator JACKIE SMITH
State Senator AMANDA RAGAN
State Representative & former Minority Leader TODD PRICHARD
State Representative CHRIS HALL
State Representative STEVE HANSEN
State Representative CHARLIE McCONKEY
State Representative SHARON SUE STECKMAN
State Representative & Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party ROSS WILLBURN
State House Minority Leader JENNIFER KONFRST


Nevada
US Representative SUSIE LEE
US Representative DINA TITUS
State Assemblywoman DANIELE MONROE-MORENO
State Assemblywoman SARAH PETERS


Other States (CO, CA, TX)
Congressman Collin Allred (D-Dallas)
Congresswoman Lizzie P. Fletcher (D-Houston)
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin)
Austin Mayor Steve Adler (D-Austin)
Former HUD Secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (D-San Antonio)
Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Denver)
Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin, CA)
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord, CA)

[Schiff for Senate]

[This post features details and information regarding Cooper's campaigning from December 1 to December 7.]


On December 1, Cooper arrives in Sioux City. He holds a large rally with State Senator Jackie Smith, who has endorsed him. "The way we vote next month, will play a major role in who our great nation's next president is. We, Iowa's Democrats, have a profound duty in making the right choice. We need to nominate a strong, liberal candidate. Somebody who stands up for our nation's values of equality and fairness, somebody who unites rather than divides, somebody who can win the general election. That's why I wholeheartedly endorsed Roy Cooper. Since his days in the North Carolina legislature, he's been a fighter for the working class. He has won tough races without compromising his positions, and he has a strong record of fighting against hate and division and for the working class and the poor, for LGBT kids, for immigrants, for refugees, for women, for African-Americans, and for those trapped by our justice system. If he wins the Democratic nomination, I have the utmost and complete confidence that he will take our fight all over the country, he'll take his case to the American people, and he'll win the election. I have total confidence that we will then have a champion for us in the White House! We need somebody who cares about US, not about winning elections or appeasing donors! We need somebody who fights for a higher minimum wage, for police reform, for gun reform, for climate change, for reducing taxes on the lower- and middle-classes and higher taxes on the richest of the rich! That's why I endorsed Roy Cooper. Because he's exactly what we need." Loud cheers. Cooper thanks Smith for her kind words, and goes off to shake hands to talk to the rallygoers. He meets a single mom who works multiple part time jobs to support her 3 kids. He meets an elderly man concerned about his healthcare and about prescription drug costs not covered in Medicare. He meets a young man worried about paying for college. A camcorder records his experiences with each of these people, and his reassuring words (this will be turned into an ad that will run across Iowa).

That evening Cooper strips diagonally across Cherokee County, heading from its southwestern corner (which touches Woodbury County, home to Sioux City) to its northeastern corner, from where he enters southwest Clay County. He shifts direction to head towards northern Clay County, to its largest city, Spencer (pop. 11,000). He says: "The rich have taken Iowans out for a ride. Trump has, too. Behind their populist, low tax rhetoric, what is the Republican Party? It is the party of the Koch Brothers, the party of the defence contractors. It is not the party of farmers in Clay County. It is not the party of the middle class. It is not the party of people who work hard to get dinner on the table here in Iowa. Behind their divisive rhetoric and culture wars, all they're for, at the end of the day, is this. Lower taxes for the people making half a million dollars a year, making a million dollars a year. Trump's 2017 tax cuts, if you look closely, were handouts to the ultra-rich, to the top 1% of earners, the people who donate to GOP candidates, who fund the GOP, who rule the GOP. Same goes for, if you look further back, to Bush's 2001 tax cuts. Those were not tax cuts for you or I. Those were tax cuts for people making seven figures a year. You tell me if it sounds fair that the top 1% of earners, on average, earn more than twenty-five times as much as the bottom 99% - that's you and I and the vast, vast majority of Americans and Iowans. You tell me if it sounds fair that the top 1% of earners have more than 42% of the nation's wealth - leaving the bottom 99% with less than 58% of our national wealth. You tell me if it sounds fair that employers earn more while their employees' wages have lower and lower purchasing power. Now you tell me if you think the top 1% deserve even more tax cuts, to come out of Medicare, from Medicaid, from aid to poor kids and disabled adults and war veterans, from Social Security. You tell me if we ought to be giving them more tax cuts, or if we need to fundamentally rework our tax structure and replace it with a progressive tax structure that taxes that top 1% much more than it taxes the bottom 99%." The fiery speech is uploaded to the Cooper Campaign's You Tube channel, where it gets many views and likes.

Cooper heads north to Dickinson County, on the border with Minnesota, and the next day begins to campaign there, too. He campaigns there with Attorney General Tom Miller. The duo heads east to also campaign in Emmet County, then dips south into Palo Alto County. They round of the day when they head east to Kossuth County and campaign there together, too.

December 3 begins with both men leaving Bancroft in Kossuth County for Winnebago County. Their route is a line tracing parallel to the border with Minnesota as they cover the string of counties along Iowa's northern boundary. After Winnebago and then Worth, they're in Mitchell County (the whitest Obama 2012 county), then in Howard County (the only county nationally to support both Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016 by over 20 points each).

On December 4, Cooper and Miller hold a large town hall in Decorah, in Winneshiek County. They round off the day in Allamakee and Clayton Counties.

December 5, the two arrive in Miller's hometown Dubuque. Here, Miller parts ways with Cooper, but not before a large town hall. One attendee asks why Miller endorsed Cooper. "Well, that's easy enough to answer," Miller begins. "I have a lot of interest in our justice system. I've seen what it can do to people. It can work effectively in punishing those who commit crimes and disincentivizing them from committing them again, but it often has an adverse effect. When you throw people in jail for having marijuana, when you punish rather than rehabilitate, you're not addressing the problem of addiction, you're not addressing the possibility that going into rehab, into a Narcotics Anonymous, is a better idea than going into a jail cell. You're also not accounting for the possibility that this is a first time offender, somebody who, for no serious crime, may be traumatised for life in jail, may then go ahead and become a repeat offender. Because when you throw people in jail, what you're doing is putting that scarlet letter on their records, permanently. Then they're unlikely to get gainful employment, and that one time of drug use may haunt them for the rest of their lives. With few good employment opportunities, they may resort to using more drugs, or committing other crimes like shoplifting. Thus, what I believe is that marijuana should be decriminalised. There should be rehabilitation, not punishment. First time users should be given another chance. Those who are well and truly addicted should be given the help they need, should be rehabilitated, not put into jail. And that's why I'm horrified by Kamala Harris' record, where she's gotten nearly two thousand marijuana convictions. And then contrast that with Roy Cooper, who has fought for reducing the punishment for marijuana use, who signed a law decriminalising the use of marijuana for certain medical cases. I appreciate him going in the right direction, taking a step, however small, in the direction of rehabilitation rather than punishment. Whereas Kamala Harris, in deep blue San Francisco, in deep blue California, rather than try to decriminalise or legalise marijuana, chose punishment, chose to punish people." Miller's response is also recorded and uploaded to the Cooper Campaign YouTube channel.

Cooper then boards a flight to Ames. He arrives in Ames on Dec. 6, campaigning with State Rep. and Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Ross Willburn. Willburn discusses Cooper's strong record on civil rights, and he calls him an "effective and sensible fighter for police reform in North Carolina." Cooper also discusses his plans to make colleges more affordable for students. That evening, he heads out to Boone County, where he spends the balance of the day campaigning.

Early the next morning he arrives in Greene County, the only county he's not yet visited and thus the final of the 99 counties in Iowa he visits. He gives a speech at the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower. He discusses his roots, upbringing and background in an emotional speech where he, for a change, refrains from tearing into Kamala Harris.

That afternoon he heads southeast, to campaign in Dallas County. He holds a rally in West Des Moines, followed by a fundraiser in the same municipality. His pitch today is criminal justice reform. "We need a president, quite simply, who fights from criminal justice reform. Because the system is broken. Disproportionately, it's African-Americans who get incarcerated by our justice system. They are disproportionately jailed for minor 'crimes' like drug use. They end up with long sentences that permanently stay on their record. African-Americans are also disproportionately the ones that end up on death row, even in states with very small black populations, such as Maine. This is a national problem and one that requires national solutions. It's an issue familiar to me from my years as Attorney General down in North Carolina. It's an issue that needs an advocate, a fighter, in the White House. I will say in Trump's credit that one of the few good things he did was sign the FIRST STEP ACT. It was indeed a first step in the right direction on this issue, but we need to go further. Kamala Harris is absolutely the wrong choice on that count. Rather than try to reform the system, she has been one who has happily advanced it. Her 'achievement' as DA was securing nearly two thousand marijuana convictions - that's more than even her predecessors did." At the fundraiser, he hits upon similar themes, though he also has an Economic Message.

[Schiff for Senate]

An ad is aired in the Des Moines - Ames, IA, Sioux City, IA, and Boston-Manchester, MA/NH, bringing together Miller's comments on marijuana policy in Dubuque and Cooper's speech in West Des Moines. It concludes with the following words (in capital, white block letters on a black backdrop): "While Roy Cooper fought to decriminalize marijuana, Kamala Harris fought to put people in jail for marijuana possession." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Both were successful in their efforts: while Cooper shepherded and signed a law that decriminalized the use of certain medical marijuana, Kamala Harris managed to secure nearly 2,000, marijuana convictions - more than even her predecessors did." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Who do you want in the White House: the one who's fought for legal marijuana, or the one who's fought for more marijuana convictions?"

[Schiff for Senate]

An ad is aired in the Des Moines - Ames, IA, Sioux City, IA, and Boston-Manchester, MA/NH, bringing together Miller's comments on marijuana policy in Dubuque and Cooper's speech in West Des Moines. It concludes with the following words (in capital, white block letters on a black backdrop): "While Roy Cooper fought to decriminalize marijuana, Kamala Harris fought to put people in jail for marijuana possession." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Both were successful in their efforts: while Cooper shepherded and signed a law that decriminalized the use of certain medical marijuana, Kamala Harris managed to secure nearly 2,000, marijuana convictions - more than even her predecessors did." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Who do you want in the White House: the one who's fought for legal marijuana, or the one who's fought for more marijuana convictions?"

Same ad is aired in the following media markets:
Denver, CO;
San Diego, CA;
Sacramento-Stockton, CA;
San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose, CA;
Los Angeles, CA;
Dallas - Fort Worth, TX;
Houston, TX;
San Antonio, TX;
El Paso - Las Cruces, TX/NM

However, in each of those aforementioned media markets, another ad is also aired, which introduces Gov. Cooper to audiences/viewers and features Cooper describing his life story.

"Hi, I'm Roy Cooper, and I'm running for the Democratic nomination for president. I grew up in rural North Carolina. My family wasn't rich, and I worked on my family's farm during summers. I saw first-hand how hard ordinary Americans worked each day to get dinner on the table for their families. And I decided I wanted to be their advocate, to be a relentless fighter for the people. I went to law school and then got elected to the North Carolina legislature, and I became the Majority Leader in the State Senate." [image of young Cooper debating in the NC legislature.] "Then, I ran for Attorney General, because I saw our justice system was broken and needed reform, saw that people, disproportionately African-Americans, were locked up in jail cells on marijuana charges." [very short video clip of Kamala Harris as DA/prosecutor seeking marijuana convictions.] "I investigated and freed innocent people who were serving jail time. [news articles/headlines describing Cooper's efforts to free Gregory Taylor and others flash across screen.] [dramatic music.] "And then, in 2016, the infamous bathroom ban bill became law. The Republicans in the state legislature passed, and Governor McCrory signed, a blatantly transphobic and bigoted law that targeted trans people and banned them from using the bathroom of their gender, forcing them to use the bathroom of the gender they were born as. It also curtailed the power of state and local governments to raise the minimum wage - this, from the party of 'small government.' I was outraged. Not only did this law hurt the trans and LGBT communities of our state, it led to businesses boycotting the Tar Heel State and events being cancelled." [during this section, the following images/clips appear: first, photo of McCrory signing HB2; then, image of HB2's texts; then, incriminating headlines about NC being boycotted and what HB2 did.] "So, I ran for Governor, on a message of unity and diversity, attacking the state Republicans for the division, the hate, the bigotry and the pain they had caused. The people of North Carolina chose unity, love and acceptance over hate, bigotry and discrimination, and elected me governor." [Very short video clip of Cooper being inaugurated as governor.] "As governor, I repealed the bathroom ban bill. Not only that, I fought for expanding Medicaid and expanding Obamacare in North Carolina, because healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. I signed a bill decriminalising medical marijuana, because I don't think having weed should mean jail time and a criminal record, especially not if it's for medical purposes. And I vetoed laws that would target women seeking abortions." [New headlines about each of these achievements flash by.] "I got reelected governor in 2020. Now, I'm running for president. I've noticed a lot of parallels between the bathroom ban in North Carolina and the anti-LGBT laws and the 'Don't say Gay' laws Ron DeSantis has signed into law in Florida. I have a bad feeling that he will continue this discrimination and bigotry if elected to the White House. I'm also running because I'm worried that if the GOP wins the White House, the top 1% get even more tax breaks, at the expense of poor children, handicapped adults, war veterans, the homeless. I'm running because of the repeal of Roe, and because we need more judges on the Supreme Court that will protect and respect a woman's right to an abortion." [images of pro-choice demonstrators protesting the Dobbs decision.] "I'm running because we need action on climate change." [images of disastrous effects of climate change.] "I'm running because we need to reform our criminal justice system." [images of Kamala Harris prosecuting an African-American on marijuana charges.] "We need a consistent, solid liberal in the White House to stop the Republican agenda and move forward, towards a better future for my children and yours. That's why I'm running for president, and that's why I approve this message."

[Schiff for Senate]

[This post runs for the balance of Cooper's time in IA before the primary - Dec. 8 to Dec. 23.]

On December 8, Cooper arrives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa's largest city after Des Moines and the county seat of Linn County. He gives a speech about veterans' affairs at the Veterans Memorial Building.

"You know, the Iraq War was a terrible war. It was an unjust war that should never have been waged. It led to the death of many innocent Iraqi and Afghan civilians, it led to the United States using torture and committing war crimes. But the Iraq War had other victims as well: American soldiers. It was easy for George W. Bush, a man who didn't fight in Vietnam or any war, to send these brave men and women to go fight in Iraq. But these soldiers are forgotten once they come back home all too often. We remember what happened in Walter Reed. Injured veterans were neglected and treated badly. The hospital was in a terrible condition. These veterans often end up with PTSD and other issues such as depression, sometimes not diagnosed, and they end up with no help at all from the government. They find themselves homeless, on the streets. Receiving no support from the country they bravely served. And for what? And for what? So that the 1% can get even more tax cuts and even more loopholes, so that they can lounge in their multimillion dollar mansions. Time for that to change. We don't need to fight any more wars abroad, we don't need to send our military for more nation building. We need to reduce spending on the DoD and on the military. We need to also end those tax cuts and those tax loopholes Bush and Trump gave the ultra-rich. We can then use that money, not only to give tax breaks to the middle class, but to help the homeless, to treat sick and depressed veterans suffering from PTSD, who have been ignored and received no help from their government. We can do that. That is how we can honour our veterans and honour our military. That is how we can do that. The solution isn't to send more American soldiers to go and fight more wars. It's to help veterans and soldiers and pull them out of the shadows and allow them to live the lives they deserve. More mental health funding, more treatment of depression and PTSD, will prove much better a long-term investment in America than more funding for bomber planes and nuclear weapons and defence contractors. Republicans don't want that. Last year, at the last minute, they cut out provisions that would provide healthcare and benefits to war veterans exposed to toxic substances. They did that, presumably so they could give their donors another tax break. Well let me tell you that will not fly under a Cooper Administration. We will give our veterans the aid they deserve, the healthcare deserve, and not abandon them in their hour of need when they bravely chose to put their lives on the line and help us in ours."

Loud cheers. The speech is also uploaded to YouTube. Cooper spends the rest of the day campaigning in Cedar Rapids with State Sen. Todd Taylor, who previously endorsed him.

The next day, Cooper's wife, Kristin, also flies in to the Hawkeye State to campaign with him. Husband and wife converge in Iowa City. Kristin gives a well-received emotional speech, then the couple meet with Iowans and attend a town hall. Over the next two days (that is, December 10 and December 11), the couple also visit Waterloo (Black Hawk County) and Dubuque (Dubuque County).

On December 12, Cooper campaigns alone in Scott County and Davenport.
December 13, Cooper campaigns in Iowa City with Mayor Bruce Teague and Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls.
December 14 finds Cooper once again in Cedar Rapids, this time with Atty. Gen. Tom Miller.
The governor holds town halls and rallies with Atty. General in Dubuque on December 15.
Cooper campaigns on December 16 in Waterloo, with Atty. Gen. Miller.

Cooper spends December 17 heading west from Waterloo, heading across Grundy, Hardin and Hamilton Counties, with stops in Grundy Center, Iowa Falls and Webster City along the way. He talks about his economic plank but also discusses "sensible, common sense gun laws to protect our children and stop more massacres like those in Uvalde". He speaks of the subject at a brief Webster City town hall, when somebody asks: "I agree with the rest of your policies, but I'm worried about your gun control policies. Is it true that you and Democrats want to take away guns from law-abiding citizens? Am I in danger of getting my guns taken away from me if you or Eric Adams or Kamala Harris are elected? I don't want the government to take away my right to own a gun." Cooper replies:

"Nobody is talking about taking away guns from law-abiding citizens. Look, I grew up in rural North Carolina. My dad owned a gun. I know how to use a gun, how to use a hunting rifle. I, like so many of you, know the difference between the kinds of guns law-abiding citizens use to hunt, to keep themselves protected, and the powerful assault rifles, the guns that can fire off bullets so quickly and kill so many people in just moments. I'm not talking about taking away anybody's hunting rifles or anybody's pistols. I'm talking about taking away assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, the things mass shooters use to commit mass shootings. I'm talking about more common sense laws like the bipartisan red flag law. I'm talking about action, and not just empty words. I've seen a lot of Republicans, the same Republicans, incidentally, whose campaigns receive massive donations from the NRA, offer 'thoughts and prayers' but, when the time comes for action dn meaningful steps to prevent more tragedies, call it 'politicising a tragedy.' Learning from tragedies like Uvalde and taking the necessary steps to prevent those tragedies from occurring again is NOT politicising a tragedy. That is simply what the NRA calls it because they oppose ALL gun reform laws, including common sense laws like red flag laws to stop known domestic abusers, people with criminal histories, people on terrorist lists, from accessing dangerous weapons. Let me ask you: Do those people - those on terrorist lists, those known to be domestic abusers, those who have criminal records and histories of violent crime - sound like law-abiding citizens to you? Would you object to AK47s and assault rifles being taken away from them, to stop more mass shootings like in Buffalo and Uvalde? Would you call that taking away guns from law-abiding citizens? I respect our constitution, and I respect the Second Amendment. I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms as much as any of you. But I just as strongly oppose dangerous criminals, depressed and suicidal people, people on terrorist watch lists, from getting their hands on firearms. That's why I support common sense gun laws."

Applause. Naturally, the encounter is recorded and uploaded to the YouTube channel for others to view.


On December 17, Cooper arrives in Ames to once more campaign with Ross Willburn. After a rally, Cooper holds a fundraiser in Ames. He then heads down to Polk County (home to Des Moines), where, after a town hall, he spends the evening in a hotel. On December 18, he goes down to Des Moines proper for a fundraiser with Mayor Frank Cownie, who has endorsed him. "Roy's a great guy and I know he's the best candidate running for president. We need more people like him - people who care about ordinary Americans - in public service." Cooper thanks Cownie for his kind words, and, after a brief speech discussing his vision for the country, begins meeting with individual donors from across central Iowa. After that, he has dinner with campaign volunteers and supporters at a Mexican restaurant, and then goes to sleep.

December 19 has Cooper crisscrossing Madison, Warren and Marion Counties - all south of Des Moines.

On December 20, with just 4 more days of campaigning in Iowa before the caucus, Cooper decides to campaign in a tier of counties in southern Iowa - Lucas County, Clarke County, Union County, Ringgold County, and Decatur County. He holds town halls in Union and Decatur Counties and gives speeches in Lucas, Clarke and Ringgold Counties. On December 21, he is in Wayne, Appanoose, Davis and Van Buren Counties (all on the border with Missouri). On December 22, he is all over southeastern Iowa - Jefferson, Lee, Des Moines and Henry Counties. With two days to go, Cooper rapidly traverses parts of Louisa and Muscatine Counties, boards an afternoon flight from Iowa City to Council Bluffs, and holds a massive rally in Council Bluffs with State Rep. Charlie McConkey. From there, Cooper goes south, through Mills and Fremont Counties on the Nebraska border and back again, then has a solo town hall in Carter Lake (in Pottawattamie County) to wrap up the day. His final day in Iowa before the caucus is spent in Harrison, Shelby, Crawford and Monona Counties, before he heads up to Sioux City, from where he boards a flight to North Carolina.

[Schiff for Senate]

December 24 to January 3 sees Cooper in the Carolinas. He officiates a Christmas ceremony and spends time with family in Raleigh on December 24 and December 25, but then it's back to business: he hosts a political fundraiser for the campaign on December 26 in Raleigh, flies down to Charlotte to do the same on December 27, and then spends the three days thereafter in South Carolina. After town halls and speeches in York and Lancaster Counties where he discusses agricultural/rural issues, he goes down to Fairfield County to meet with County Councillors Rosebourough and Greene, both of whom have endorsed him, to discuss local and racial issues in the county. On December 29, he holds a rally + fundraiser in Columbia before heading towards Greenville County via Lexington, Newberry and Laurens Counties (with one stop in each of the three counties). On December 30, he has a rally and speech in Greenville after City Councillor Lillian Brock-Fleming, who has endorsed him, delivers a brief introductory speech to the audience (which is majority-African-American). On December 31, he flies back to Raleigh to spend time with family and have a New Year's Eve party at the State Capitol. He spends time tending to gubernatorial duties and spending time with family until the afternoon of the 3rd, when he departs for New Hampshire.

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
YouTube playlist of Cooper's short speeches

(Unless otherwise stated, all speeches are by Gov. Cooper.)

"My belief has always been that the American government should serve the people. It should serve the poor, the sick and the needy. It should serve as a beacon of freedom for people worldwide. All my life, I've wanted to help in pursuing those ideals. Right now, running for president, we have a lot of people who oppose those ideals. There is Donald Trump. He wants us to close ourself off from the rest of the world. He is a bigoted misogynist who has actively tried to assault our democracy as we know it. His presidency was an abject disaster. He stands counter to America's ideals of freedom and diversity and democracy. Ron DeSantis is also a bigoted homophobe and transphobe who as governor of Florida has done nothing to help Floridians, but has instead targeted trans people and gay people. We need to fight back hard against their bigoted, anti-democracy ideas, with our own ideals, our ideals of a government for the people, by the people, and of the people, a government that welcomes immigrants, a government that does not trample upon its own citizens. A government that only gives tax cuts to the rich, a government which targets its own citizens, a government which looks the other way to existential crises such as our gun violence epidemic and climate change - that is what we will get if we let the Republican Party win the White House. To quote Lyndon Johnson, "These are the stakes, to create a world in which all of God's children can live." You must understand - this is no ordinary election. In 2020, we came awfully close to letting Donald Trump remain in the White House. We are on the brink of letting him reenter at this time. We need a strong and liberal candidate to defeat him and fight for our values and our ideals and our principles. There is myself. But we also have candidates who've thrown people in jail for possession of marijuana, candidates who have supported deporting illegal immigrants, candidates who have accepted and bragged about NRA endorsements, candidates who haven't been on the campaign trail, and candidates who have looked the other way to the overprescription of opioids. Unlike Kamala Harris, I can win and don't have approvals in the tank, and I've never had a problem with adults recreationally using a little marijuana every know and then. Unlike Tammy Baldwin, I intend to seriously address the issue of the opioid crisis, and address problems such as overprescription. No more Marine Corps veterans will die because our government overprescribed them opioids and other drugs. Unlike Kathy Hochul, I will never cave to or cater to the NRA, and I will never, ever accept their endorsement, let alone tout it, as she did, nor try to deport illegal immigrants. Unlike Elizabeth Warren, I'll actually take our climate crisis seriously. Unlike all four of them, I will listen to all of you. Unlike all four of them, I care about people other than rich donors. The other four candidates haven't even bothered to give Butler County or any of rural Iowa much attention. They take your votes for granted. They figure, even if they lose your vote, it's all right, because they think they can win the caucuses by getting votes out of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and they think they can just ignore the rest of the state. They do not value your concerns. They cannot be bothered to campaign out in rural Iowa - they'll send campaign surrogates, or they'll do a quick whistle-stop campaign to just get it done and over with in three or four days. Not me. America values each and every one of its citizens, and so do I. I will not forget any of the many people I've met on the campaign trail, the people I will meet on the campaign trail. I've listened to your concerns and when I'm in the White House, I promise to you I will not forget them. Your concerns matter to me infinitely more than whatever the donors might tell me. I won't pretend I don't care about what they say at all, but I care much more about the American people. Whether you'r rich or poor, gay or straight, male or female or nonbinary, black or white, urban or rural, and whether you vote for me or against me, I intend to serve you as president, and do the very best I can to build a better nation for you, and a better future for your children."

"The rich have taken Iowans out for a ride. Trump has, too. Behind their populist, low tax rhetoric, what is the Republican Party? It is the party of the Koch Brothers, the party of the defence contractors. It is not the party of farmers in Clay County. It is not the party of the middle class. It is not the party of people who work hard to get dinner on the table here in Iowa. Behind their divisive rhetoric and culture wars, all they're for, at the end of the day, is this. Lower taxes for the people making half a million dollars a year, making a million dollars a year. Trump's 2017 tax cuts, if you look closely, were handouts to the ultra-rich, to the top 1% of earners, the people who donate to GOP candidates, who fund the GOP, who rule the GOP. Same goes for, if you look further back, to Bush's 2001 tax cuts. Those were not tax cuts for you or I. Those were tax cuts for people making seven figures a year. You tell me if it sounds fair that the top 1% of earners, on average, earn more than twenty-five times as much as the bottom 99% - that's you and I and the vast, vast majority of Americans and Iowans. You tell me if it sounds fair that the top 1% of earners have more than 42% of the nation's wealth - leaving the bottom 99% with less than 58% of our national wealth. You tell me if it sounds fair that employers earn more while their employees' wages have lower and lower purchasing power. Now you tell me if you think the top 1% deserve even more tax cuts, to come out of Medicare, from Medicaid, from aid to poor kids and disabled adults and war veterans, from Social Security. You tell me if we ought to be giving them more tax cuts, or if we need to fundamentally rework our tax structure and replace it with a progressive tax structure that taxes that top 1% much more than it taxes the bottom 99%."

(The below speech is by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.)

"I have a lot of interest in our justice system. I've seen what it can do to people. It can work effectively in punishing those who commit crimes and disincentivizing them from committing them again, but it often has an adverse effect. When you throw people in jail for having marijuana, when you punish rather than rehabilitate, you're not addressing the problem of addiction, you're not addressing the possibility that going into rehab, into a Narcotics Anonymous, is a better idea than going into a jail cell. You're also not accounting for the possibility that this is a first time offender, somebody who, for no serious crime, may be traumatised for life in jail, may then go ahead and become a repeat offender. Because when you throw people in jail, what you're doing is putting that scarlet letter on their records, permanently. Then they're unlikely to get gainful employment, and that one time of drug use may haunt them for the rest of their lives. With few good employment opportunities, they may resort to using more drugs, or committing other crimes like shoplifting. Thus, what I believe is that marijuana should be decriminalised. There should be rehabilitation, not punishment. First time users should be given another chance. Those who are well and truly addicted should be given the help they need, should be rehabilitated, not put into jail. And that's why I'm horrified by Kamala Harris' record, where she's gotten nearly two thousand marijuana convictions. And then contrast that with Roy Cooper, who has fought for reducing the punishment for marijuana use, who signed a law decriminalising the use of marijuana for certain medical cases. I appreciate him going in the right direction, taking a step, however small, in the direction of rehabilitation rather than punishment. Whereas Kamala Harris, in deep blue San Francisco, in deep blue California, rather than try to decriminalise or legalise marijuana, chose punishment, chose to punish people."

"You know, the Iraq War was a terrible war. It was an unjust war that should never have been waged. It led to the death of many innocent Iraqi and Afghan civilians, it led to the United States using torture and committing war crimes. But the Iraq War had other victims as well: American soldiers. It was easy for George W. Bush, a man who didn't fight in Vietnam or any war, to send these brave men and women to go fight in Iraq. But these soldiers are forgotten once they come back home all too often. We remember what happened in Walter Reed. Injured veterans were neglected and treated badly. The hospital was in a terrible condition. These veterans often end up with PTSD and other issues such as depression, sometimes not diagnosed, and they end up with no help at all from the government. They find themselves homeless, on the streets. Receiving no support from the country they bravely served. And for what? And for what? So that the 1% can get even more tax cuts and even more loopholes, so that they can lounge in their multimillion dollar mansions. Time for that to change. We don't need to fight any more wars abroad, we don't need to send our military for more nation building. We need to reduce spending on the DoD and on the military. We need to also end those tax cuts and those tax loopholes Bush and Trump gave the ultra-rich. We can then use that money, not only to give tax breaks to the middle class, but to help the homeless, to treat sick and depressed veterans suffering from PTSD, who have been ignored and received no help from their government. We can do that. That is how we can honour our veterans and honour our military. That is how we can do that. The solution isn't to send more American soldiers to go and fight more wars. It's to help veterans and soldiers and pull them out of the shadows and allow them to live the lives they deserve. More mental health funding, more treatment of depression and PTSD, will prove much better a long-term investment in America than more funding for bomber planes and nuclear weapons and defence contractors. Republicans don't want that. Last year, at the last minute, they cut out provisions that would provide healthcare and benefits to war veterans exposed to toxic substances. They did that, presumably so they could give their donors another tax break. Well let me tell you that will not fly under a Cooper Administration. We will give our veterans the aid they deserve, the healthcare deserve, and not abandon them in their hour of need when they bravely chose to put their lives on the line and help us in ours."

"Nobody is talking about taking away guns from law-abiding citizens. Look, I grew up in rural North Carolina. My dad owned a gun. I know how to use a gun, how to use a hunting rifle. I, like so many of you, know the difference between the kinds of guns law-abiding citizens use to hunt, to keep themselves protected, and the powerful assault rifles, the guns that can fire off bullets so quickly and kill so many people in just moments. I'm not talking about taking away anybody's hunting rifles or anybody's pistols. I'm talking about taking away assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, the things mass shooters use to commit mass shootings. I'm talking about more common sense laws like the bipartisan red flag law. I'm talking about action, and not just empty words. I've seen a lot of Republicans, the same Republicans, incidentally, whose campaigns receive massive donations from the NRA, offer 'thoughts and prayers' but, when the time comes for action dn meaningful steps to prevent more tragedies, call it 'politicising a tragedy.' Learning from tragedies like Uvalde and taking the necessary steps to prevent those tragedies from occurring again is NOT politicising a tragedy. That is simply what the NRA calls it because they oppose ALL gun reform laws, including common sense laws like red flag laws to stop known domestic abusers, people with criminal histories, people on terrorist lists, from accessing dangerous weapons. Let me ask you: Do those people - those on terrorist lists, those known to be domestic abusers, those who have criminal records and histories of violent crime - sound like law-abiding citizens to you? Would you object to AK47s and assault rifles being taken away from them, to stop more mass shootings like in Buffalo and Uvalde? Would you call that taking away guns from law-abiding citizens? I respect our constitution, and I respect the Second Amendment. I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms as much as any of you. But I just as strongly oppose dangerous criminals, depressed and suicidal people, people on terrorist watch lists, from getting their hands on firearms. That's why I support common sense gun laws."

Also, the two ads aired in media markets are also uploaded to YouTube so that anybody can view them if they want:

An ad is aired in the Des Moines - Ames, IA, Sioux City, IA, and Boston-Manchester, MA/NH, bringing together Miller's comments on marijuana policy in Dubuque and Cooper's speech in West Des Moines. It concludes with the following words (in capital, white block letters on a black backdrop): "While Roy Cooper fought to decriminalize marijuana, Kamala Harris fought to put people in jail for marijuana possession." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Both were successful in their efforts: while Cooper shepherded and signed a law that decriminalized the use of certain medical marijuana, Kamala Harris managed to secure nearly 2,000, marijuana convictions - more than even her predecessors did." [pause; then the next words also fade into the screen.] "Who do you want in the White House: the one who's fought for legal marijuana, or the one who's fought for more marijuana convictions?"

Same ad is aired in the following media markets:
Denver, CO;
San Diego, CA;
Sacramento-Stockton, CA;
San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose, CA;
Los Angeles, CA;
Dallas - Fort Worth, TX;
Houston, TX;
San Antonio, TX;
El Paso - Las Cruces, TX/NM

However, in each of those aforementioned media markets, another ad is also aired, which introduces Gov. Cooper to audiences/viewers and features Cooper describing his life story.

"Hi, I'm Roy Cooper, and I'm running for the Democratic nomination for president. I grew up in rural North Carolina. My family wasn't rich, and I worked on my family's farm during summers. I saw first-hand how hard ordinary Americans worked each day to get dinner on the table for their families. And I decided I wanted to be their advocate, to be a relentless fighter for the people. I went to law school and then got elected to the North Carolina legislature, and I became the Majority Leader in the State Senate." [image of young Cooper debating in the NC legislature.] "Then, I ran for Attorney General, because I saw our justice system was broken and needed reform, saw that people, disproportionately African-Americans, were locked up in jail cells on marijuana charges." [very short video clip of Kamala Harris as DA/prosecutor seeking marijuana convictions.] "I investigated and freed innocent people who were serving jail time. [news articles/headlines describing Cooper's efforts to free Gregory Taylor and others flash across screen.] [dramatic music.] "And then, in 2016, the infamous bathroom ban bill became law. The Republicans in the state legislature passed, and Governor McCrory signed, a blatantly transphobic and bigoted law that targeted trans people and banned them from using the bathroom of their gender, forcing them to use the bathroom of the gender they were born as. It also curtailed the power of state and local governments to raise the minimum wage - this, from the party of 'small government.' I was outraged. Not only did this law hurt the trans and LGBT communities of our state, it led to businesses boycotting the Tar Heel State and events being cancelled." [during this section, the following images/clips appear: first, photo of McCrory signing HB2; then, image of HB2's texts; then, incriminating headlines about NC being boycotted and what HB2 did.] "So, I ran for Governor, on a message of unity and diversity, attacking the state Republicans for the division, the hate, the bigotry and the pain they had caused. The people of North Carolina chose unity, love and acceptance over hate, bigotry and discrimination, and elected me governor." [Very short video clip of Cooper being inaugurated as governor.] "As governor, I repealed the bathroom ban bill. Not only that, I fought for expanding Medicaid and expanding Obamacare in North Carolina, because healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. I signed a bill decriminalising medical marijuana, because I don't think having weed should mean jail time and a criminal record, especially not if it's for medical purposes. And I vetoed laws that would target women seeking abortions." [New headlines about each of these achievements flash by.] "I got reelected governor in 2020. Now, I'm running for president. I've noticed a lot of parallels between the bathroom ban in North Carolina and the anti-LGBT laws and the 'Don't say Gay' laws Ron DeSantis has signed into law in Florida. I have a bad feeling that he will continue this discrimination and bigotry if elected to the White House. I'm also running because I'm worried that if the GOP wins the White House, the top 1% get even more tax breaks, at the expense of poor children, handicapped adults, war veterans, the homeless. I'm running because of the repeal of Roe, and because we need more judges on the Supreme Court that will protect and respect a woman's right to an abortion." [images of pro-choice demonstrators protesting the Dobbs decision.] "I'm running because we need action on climate change." [images of disastrous effects of climate change.] "I'm running because we need to reform our criminal justice system." [images of Kamala Harris prosecuting an African-American on marijuana charges.] "We need a consistent, solid liberal in the White House to stop the Republican agenda and move forward, towards a better future for my children and yours. That's why I'm running for president, and that's why I approve this message."

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
YouTube playlist of Cooper's short speeches

(CONTINUED)

ATTENDEE: "Governor Cooper, my son turned eighteen this year and was supposed to begin college a week back. He's gotten great grades and he's really excited to go to a good college. However, although we really want to help him go to the college of his dreams, we're very worried about the cost. Both my wife and I work multiple jobs, but we still can't scrape together enough money to send him to college. We're very wary of taking on student loans, and we really want to send our son to college, but we simply can't afford it. Do you have a plan regarding this issue?"

COOPER: "Well, sir, I'm glad you asked this question. First off, I truly sympathise with your predicament. Millions of American families have this dilemma, and are forced to choose between not sending their children to college, or having to take on tons of debt in student loans and working multiple jobs. Education should be a right, not a privilege. A Cooper Administration will enact a comprehensive agenda to tackle this issue, because this issue is of very high priority to me. Specifically, we would firstly take a leaf from President Biden's book and do what he did last year on a larger scale. He forgave a limited amount of student debts. Well, we'd go further. I pledge here and now that if elected, I will eliminate and forgive all currently standing student debt. We have seniors who, because of the way the loans work and the high interest, are still having to set aside money from their Social Security paycheque to pay towards their student loans. It's crazy, and it has got to stop. However, to ensure that this problem does not repeat itself, we would also establish thousands of free community colleges, nationwide. Your son would have the opportunity to attend one of these colleges - we'd have some in New Hampshire, perhaps one right here in Portsmouth. This would provide an alternative that does not involve choosing between no higher education and a truckload in student debt. It would also force colleges' hand and force them to lower their prices to remain competitive and not lose out on students. This way, your son would be guaranteed a path to some college, at either little or no cost to you, and without any need for student loans. Not only would your son benefit from this, but so would millions of college-age young people, and their parents, who face a similar struggle."

ATTENDEE: "I heard that in South Carolina, Eric Adams has accused you of flip-flopping on immigration and possibly supporting open borders. What exactly is your position on immigration and do you or do you not support open borders?"

COOPER: "Thank you for the question, ma'am. (Laughs) Well, I heard what Mayor Adams said too, and quite frankly I'm surprised. Either Mayor Adams is deliberately distorting the truth and misrepresenting what I said, or he doesn't understand what open borders means. My position has been consistent all along. I support a legal pathway to immigration for those illegal immigrations who've been living in the shadows out here for decades, who've led honest lives and not committed any crimes. I support their children, Dreamers, getting a fair shake. I think we should welcome immigrants and refugees and make the immigration process easier and more straightforward, so the incentive for illegal immigration is lower. I oppose a border wall. I oppose putting kids in cages and separating families at the southern border. I also oppose the other extreme, open borders, and very clearly said as much at the debate. Now in contrast, you've got Mayor Adams, who either doesn't understand how open borders work and what I've said on the subject, or who is deliberately lying about this. Mayor Adams: there is a difference between supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants who've lived here for decades in the shadows and who've not committed any crimes, and supporting open borders. I support the former, and just as strongly oppose the latter. And you've got Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul has previously supported deporting illegal immigrants, a move, which as I said, I strongly oppose, and which prompted Mayor Adams to accuse me of supporting open borders. Hochul also threatened to arrest and deport illegal immigrants who applied for drivers' licenses. Now, as she's realised it's politically expedient, she's had a 180 degree turn on immigration, had a complete about-face. She is the one who's flip-flopped on this issue, who's not been consistent, Mayor Adams - not me. This is quite evident, and why you'd try to turn the tables on me is something I'd be interested in knowing. My question is this: If she's in the White House, which Kathy Hochul will we have? The one who supports deporting illegal immigrants, or the one who supports proper immigration reform? We cannot trust Kathy Hochul on this issue, frankly. She has been as inconsistent on this subject as I've been consistent. I hope this answers your question fully, and once again: I am one hundred percent opposed to open borders, and I made this crystal clear at the most recent Democratic debate."  

"I was surprised to find Kathy Hochul drop out, and even more so that she endorsed Mayor Adams for president.  It'll be interesting, to say the least, to see how her departure shakes up the race. I advise Governor Hochul's supporters to think long and hard before deciding who to support, because there are now three options in this race. There's Kamala Harris, an alienating vice-president who will make winning the White House easier for the Republican candidate. Kamala Harris is somebody who has a record of prosecuting people, of throwing people in jail, for having marijuana. In contrast, if you look at my record in North Carolina, a state that Kamala Harris has trashed and insulted, I worked with a Republican-controlled legislature to move forward on marijuana. We legalised THC and marijuana for medicinal use. We legalised possession of a small amount of marijuana. Then you've got Mayor Eric Adams, a fellow New York Democrat who Kathy Hochul endorsed. I think it's important to remember here that Eric Adams has bragged about being endorsed by the most conservative Democrat in the House, somebody who, in this time where women's reproductive rights are on the forefront of our politics, has opposed the right of a woman to have an abortion. You know what else? He is somebody who continued to meet with Andrew Cuomo even after so many women alleged that Cuomo harassed or assaulted them. So, you know, as Representatives Lee and Titus - both of whom have endorsed me - said, this election will be pivotal for women's rights. So we need a Democratic candidate who supports women. Not somebody whose record on supporting women, on women's rights, is questionable, is sketchy, at best. And you know, Eric claims to be a liberal, but I recall not all that long ago he was a conservative Republican. He's been endorsed by that conservative, anti-abortion Democrat, Henry Cuellar. So the same way his record on women is questionable, his liberal credentials are just as spotty, are just as debatable. And then you've got me. I got elected in a campaign that fought against hate, against transphobia. And we were able to win, at the same time that Donald Trump won our state. We were able to, despite a Republican legislature, to do so much. We took some steps toward legalising marijuana in North Carolina, as I previously mentioned. We signed into law regulations to fight the opioid epidemic. We fought for expanded Medicare. And in 2020, as Trump won the state again, we won reelection. So my question to all of Kathy Hochul supporters, to really all undecided voters, is this. Are we going to choose somebody who is extremely unpopular, who has tried to lock up people for having marijuana, somebody whose liberal credentials, whose support for women, is at best questionable, or a liberal fighter who's won uphill fights, unlikely races, and who's never wavered from justice, and equality, and liberalism? That is the question that all of those who are undecided between the three candidates need to think long and hard about. Because, you know, who we choose to be our candidate out in Iowa and New Hampshire, right here in Nevada, who we vote for in the primaries all across the country, will have dramatic national implications. If we choose the wrong horse, if we choose somebody who's equivocated on marijuana and on women's rights, if we choose somebody who'll only go on to lose to Trump or DeSantis in November, let me say it now: the future will be bleak. Or, you know, or we can choose somebody who can win, and who has been consistent, and then when we win the White House, we will end the death penalty, we will legalise marijuana on a national level, we will end the filibuster, we will transition to renewable, and we will fight for abortion rights, we'll get more justices on the Supreme Court who support abortion rights. To put it another way, we either take our country in a positive direction, in the right direction, towards progress and equality and justice, or we head down the wrong path, in the wrong direction, towards hate and bigotry and division and inequality. I'm in this race because we have to, have to, have to win the White House if we want to go down the right path, and if we allow the Republicans to win it, we head down the wrong path, from where it'll be that much harder to take a 180 and turn towards the right direction. So please, think about all those things when you consider who to vote for in the primary. The stakes are far too high, for this country, for the planet, to make the wrong decision."

[Schiff for Senate]

From December 4 to December 18, Cooper criss-crosses the Granite State, New Hampshire. He campaigns with all eleven New Hampshire politicians who have endorsed him: the 10 Democrats in the state senate, and Congressman Chris Pappas of NH01. Briefly:

December 4-6: 4 rallies (one with Congressman Pappas, one with State Sen. Lou D'Allesandro one with State Sen. Donna Soucy, and one with Kevin Cavanaugh) in Manchester, along with 2 town halls and 1 fundraiser (where all 4 aforementioned Manchester politicians are present)
December 7: Town hall and rally in Nashua (latter also featuring State Sen. Cindy Rosenwald)
December 8: In Cheshire County. Rally in Keene with State Sen. Jay Kahn, along with town halls in Swanzey, Rindge, and Jaffrey - thus, Cooper visits the 4 largest communities in the county
December 9: In Sullivan County. Rallies in Claremont and Newport, the county's two largest communities, and town halls in Grantham, Charlestown and Cornish.
December 10: Campaigning all over Grafton County. Rally (with State Sen. Suzanne Prentiss) and town hall in Lebanon, the county's largest community, and town halls in Hanover, Plymouth and Littleton, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th largest communities in the county.
December 11-12: From Plymouth, Cooper heads down to Merrimack County. Here, he has rallies in Pembroke, Franklin, Contoocook (with native State Sen. Becky Whitley), and town halls in Allenstown and Pittsfield. He also has a rally and fundraiser in the state capitol of Concord.
December 13: Rallies in Derry and Salem and fundraiser in Londonderry. This is followed by town halls in Exeter and Hampton.
December 14: Rally in Rye with State Sen. Tom Sherman; rally in Portsmouth with State Sen. Rebecca Kwoka. Fundraiser in Portsmouth.
December 15: Campaigning in Strafford County. Rally and fundraiser in Dover with State Sen. David Watters, followed by town hall in Durham.
December 16: Rallies in Laconia and Wolfeboro; town halls in Wakefield and Moultonborough.
December 17: Rally in Conway; town hall in Ossipee. Town halls in Gorham and Berlin.
December 18: Fly in private helicopter from Berlin to Des Moines.

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER AT RALLY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE UPON RECEIVING NOTE SAYING THAT ERIC ADAMS HAS JUST DROPPED OUT AND ENDORSED HIM:

"This just in, folks: Mayor Adams just dropped out and endorsed my presidential campaign. Well, first of all, I'd like to thank Mayor Adams for endorsing me. This means a great deal to me. And I think it means a great deal for the Democratic voters who will be casting their ballots in the upcoming primaries. Because though Eric and I had some differences, he had the right platform. He cared about, he listened to, the people. He was knowledgable about the issues, he was compassionate and caring, and he has important experience: he's served in the police, where he tackled police brutality and worked towards police reform, where he addressed racial profiling. And I think he realised which of the two remaining candidates - VP Harris and myself - shared those ideals, those goals, that vision. The candidate who's fought to fix the broken criminal justice system, or the one who's been a part of it, an enabler of it? Well, he made that choice, and now, so must each of his supporters. Mayor Adams ran a campaign centric on racial equality, police reform, criminal justice reform. So, will you support the candidate who worked to decriminalise marijuana, or the one who landed people in jail for using some? The one who investigated the cases of innocent people in jail, or the one who helped put innocent people in jail?? The choice is yours to make. Regarding Mayor Adams, however, I will be honoured to have him serve as an advisor to my campaign, and I'd love to hear his advice. We will work together, as a team, to win the White House and move this country in the right direction!"

Loud cheers erupt.

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER AT RALLY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE UPON RECEIVING NOTE SAYING THAT ERIC ADAMS HAS JUST DROPPED OUT AND ENDORSED HIM:

"This just in, folks: Mayor Adams just dropped out and endorsed my presidential campaign. Well, first of all, I'd like to thank Mayor Adams for endorsing me. This means a great deal to me. And I think it means a great deal for the Democratic voters who will be casting their ballots in the upcoming primaries. Because though Eric and I had some differences, he had the right platform. He cared about, he listened to, the people. He was knowledgable about the issues, he was compassionate and caring, and he has important experience: he's served in the police, where he tackled police brutality and worked towards police reform, where he addressed racial profiling. And I think he realised which of the two remaining candidates - VP Harris and myself - shared those ideals, those goals, that vision. The candidate who's fought to fix the broken criminal justice system, or the one who's been a part of it, an enabler of it? Well, he made that choice, and now, so must each of his supporters. Mayor Adams ran a campaign centric on racial equality, police reform, criminal justice reform. So, will you support the candidate who worked to decriminalise marijuana, or the one who landed people in jail for using some? The one who investigated the cases of innocent people in jail, or the one who helped put innocent people in jail?? The choice is yours to make. Regarding Mayor Adams, however, I will be honoured to have him serve as an advisor to my campaign, and I'd love to hear his advice. We will work together, as a team, to win the White House and move this country in the right direction!"

Loud cheers erupt.

The Cooper Campaign makes Eric Adams a Senior Advisor to the campaign & Director of Criminal Justice Reform Policy. He also serves as Co-Chair of the campaign's Urban Department.

[Schiff for Senate]

On December 18, Cooper arrives in Des Moines, Iowa. He attends a mega rally featuring State Atty. Gen. Tom Miller, local Mayor Frank Cownie, and NYC Mayor and former presidential contender Eric Adams. All three men give speeches in support of Cooper before Cooper himself takes the stage.

MILLER: "Iowa, this is a campaign about justice for all, and about a voice for all. While Kamala Harris has been visiting ultra-rich donors and attending $500 a plate fundraisers, where has Roy Cooper been? He's been right here, on the ground, in Iowa. He's attended town halls in counties from Woodbury to Worth, from Hamilton to Henry. He's personally visited all 99 counties, and unlike with Kamala Harris, it's taken him more than 3 days to do so. Because he cares about what you think. He's listened to young adults concerned about college, seniors concerned about the future of Medicare, and middle-aged people concerned about their jobs, about taxes, about the economy, about their futures. Kamala Harris thinks she can win the Iowa caucuses by pouring money into the state while sitting around in private jets going from one exclusive fundraiser to the next. Roy Cooper has what's apparently now an unorthodox strategy: he wants to meet with ordinary, working-class Iowans, to discuss their views, and their concerns. Now, Iowa must choose. Will it take a candidate who's been to busy at fundraisers to campaign personally in Iowa, to visit every corner of the state and not just the big cities - or will it take the candidate who, more than campaign resources, has invested thousands of hours into visiting each and every part of this great state? Will you choose the candidate who has forged a great bond with the people of Iowa, and who will not forget their concerns - or the candidate who has forged a great bond with multimillionaire donors and who will not forget their concerns? We've been taken for a ride by Trump and the Republicans, who preach populist rhetoric, but who are really all about tax cuts for the rich. We've been left behind by them, forgotten, ignored once they've won our votes. Let's not make that mistake with Kamala Harris. I cannot iterate it clearly enough: Roy Cooper is the candidate for Iowa, and Kamala Harris is the candidate for her donors! Iowa's concerns ARE Roy Cooper's concerns, and they WILL be Roy Cooper's concerns even in the White House. Iowa's concerns don't mean much to Kamala Harris beyond how they'll help her win the caucus. Once she's in the White House, she'll listen to coastal donors, and maybe she'll remember urban Iowa. But rural counties - counties like Howard and Worth and Monona and Mahaska and Lucas - will be left out, once again. We have a chance to break that cycle with Roy Cooper. To make HIM our nominee. And that is why I urge you all, implore you all, to vote for Roy Cooper in the caucuses in three days."

ADAMS: "...Roy Cooper and I traded some barbs during the campaign, I'll admit that. But I trust Roy. I know his intentions are genuine, are earnest: he genuinely cares about Iowa, about working-class people of all races and all backgrounds. He wants to serve them in the White House. Kamala Harris was quick to do whatever proved politically expedient - complimenting me one turn, lambasting me the next, going as low as to attack Roy Cooper's home state. She is, I've found, just another career politician, an establishmentarian who will do as much for Iowa as Trump has done: nothing. She has no deep-seated convictions or values, and I was and remain horrified by her record of locking up people - disproportionately African-Americans - on marijuana charges. She pretends to want to fix the broken criminal justice system, but really, she's been a part of it, she has been one its foot soldiers as DA. Roy Cooper, though he's also not perfect, is much more consistent, and I have faith in his core principles. I believe that as president, he will address police brutality and police reform. I'm not so sure Kamala Harris, who declined as AG in California to investigate the police shooting two black men, will do the same if she doesn't think it's politically convenient. And that's why I endorsed Roy Cooper, and urge you all to do the same. I know he is genuine about addressing police reform and police brutality, about addressing the concerns of Iowa as president, and is not just doing it to win your vote."

COOPER: "I'll give you an example of Kamala Harris flip-flopping, of lacking core principles. As DA, she declined to use the death penalty against a man who killed a member of the San Francisco PD. Senator Dianne Feinstein criticized Harris for this decision. And you know what? If Kamala Harris was morally, principally opposed to the death penalty, I would respect that. But as California's AG, Harris decided to oppose two ballot initiatives to abolish the death penalty, deciding it was no longer politically expedient for her. You want another example? Kamala Harris said at a town hall while running for president she'd support abolishing private healthcare, but then denied she ever said that, when she realised it wasn't as popular a position as she thought it was. Kamala Harris threw people in jail on marijuana charges. She is a part of, an enabler of, the broken criminal justice system. She won't fight the system that helped build her political career. She might say that right now, but when she's president, nothing will happen to address police brutality or criminal justice reform. Because right now, it's politically expedient for her to spend a little time in Iowa, dump some cash into the state, win the caucus. It's political expedient for her to masquerade as a progressive, antiestablishment warrior, despite the fact that she's part of broken, establishment Washington culture. But in the White House, she'll have different interests and won't care about what Iowa thinks or what Iowans told her. Kamala Harris is a chameleon and selecting her as our nominee would be a terrible, terrible mistake. I truly hope that Eric Adams' supporters will see through her empty words and take a good look at her record. If they do, they'll know better than to support her. Eric has from the beginning tried to fix the broken criminal justice system and has fought to address police brutality. Kamala Harris has been a part of that same broken criminal justice system from the very beginning. And I truly hope that Iowa Democrats will reject her and her false promises, in favour of the mantle of police and criminal justice reform, in favour of having a truly ally and advocate in the White House."

[Schiff for Senate]

Continuing on that theme, Cooper goes on to a town hall to answer questions about criminal justice reform. He attacks Harris' record and points to his own.

"Kamala Harris refused to investigate the police shooting of two black men. She's locked up thousands of people on marijuana convictions. Meanwhile, back in North Carolina, I fought to decriminalise medical marijuana. And when I was AG, I looked to the example of Tom Miller and did what was right. We had a man named Gregory Taylor. He spent 17 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. I investigated, I got the bottom of the prosecutorial misconduct, of the suppression of evidence. And we freed that innocent man, and we looked at the cases of hundreds of other people who had been sentenced to jail because of suppression of evidence. Tragically, three of those people had already been executed. They may well have been innocent. That incident reinforced my deeply-held conviction that the death penalty is immoral and is too dangerous to be used, because too often, it takes the lives of the innocent. Kamala Harris also claims to oppose the death penalty, and when a man killed a police officer in San Francisco, she refused to sentence him to to the death penalty, to the chagrin of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Don't get me wrong: if she morally, principally oppose the death penalty the way I do, I would applaud that choice. But then, when she was AG in California, she decided it wasn't politically convenient to oppose the death penalty, and opposed two propositions to abolish it. So you tell me. When we're talking about criminal justice reform, are we looking for the candidate who's locked up people for marijuana convictions, who has flip-flopped on the death penalty and who as AG declined to investigate police shootings - or are we looking for the candidate who decriminalised medical marijuana in his state, who has consistently been against the death penalty, and who as AG launched an investigation into evidence suppression and prosecutorial misconduct? Are we looking for a prosector who's locked up innocent people, or someone who's investigated prosecutors who locked up innocent people? Kamala Harris has gotten away with lying about her political positions for far, far too long. It's time we called her out on it and exposed her for what she truly is: a flip-flopper without any deep-seated convictions."

[Schiff for Senate]

Ads air taking in excerpts of Cooper's and Adams' comments on criminal justice reform, and these are aired across the state.

An aid is also aired taking in excerpts of Tom Miller's comments.

[Schiff for Senate]

December 19: Cooper heads over to Columbia, South Carolina. "Eric Adams endorsed me for a reason. He knows I've been a consistent fighter for police reform and criminal justice reform. And he knows that Kamala Harris has been anything but consistent on it." He brings up the same points as in Des Moines: Harris' flip-flopping on the death penalty, the marijuana convictions, the refusal to investigate the shootings of two black men; and Cooper's massive, large-scale investigation into evidence suppression and his campaign as AG to free innocent people sent to jail as a result of prosecutorial misconduct. "Criminal justice reform, police reform, matter a great deal. We cannot afford to compromise or equivocate on this issue the way Kamala Harris has all her career. That's why Eric Adams endorsed me, and I ask all of you to vote for me in the March 2nd primaries."

An ad is also made compiling the essence of Cooper's contrast between himself and Harris, and his line about compromise/equivocation, and it is aired in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Iowa.

Cooper then flies to Manchester, where he arrives on the early morning of December 20. At a rally, he hits, once again, on those same themes. He spends the rest of the day at town halls and rallies in Hillsborough County, before boarding a night flight back to Iowa.

On December 21, he arrives in Davenport. After zooming to all of eastern Iowa's big cities (Dubuque, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo), he comes back to Davenport. He gives a moving address about his own career where, for a change, he refrains from slamming Harris, and concludes with the words: "Well, this is it, Iowa. It is incumbent upon all of you to make the right choice for this party, for this nation. We need to choose between reform and change versus more of the same, between principles and values versus more equivocation and flip-flopping. We need to choose between genuine promises meant to change this nation versus empty words meant to win votes."

On December 22, Cooper is in Iowa City with his wife, Kristin, as the couple wait for the caucus results to trickle in. They have both a concession and a victory speech, and they already have chairs and a podium set up in a gym for a post-caucus speech where Cooper will address his supporters. There is electricity in the air.

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER IN IOWA CITY: "Well, folks, the results are indicating a tight, tight race right here. Really looks like we could win this thing, but we'll have to see. If I win, though, it will not just be a win for me. It will also be a win for my hardworking, diligent and dedicated campaign workers and volunteers, my devoted and enthusiastic supporters. Above all else, it will be a win for the progressives of Iowa and of this nation. We will have rejected more of the same, more equivocation and flip-flopping, in favour of real progress, real change. Kamala Harris has experience, sure - but she has experience in flip-flopping, in locking up people for having marijuana. She has experience in the broken criminal justice system. She has experience in Washington, where things are still at a standstill. She has experience in alienating the voters and having twenty-something approval ratings. I may not have as much overall experience as VP Harris, but what experience do I have? I have experience uniting people and winning tough races. I have experience in fighting for reform of our criminal justice system, so it works the way it's supposed to. I have experience in fighting for justice for innocent people in jail. I have experience championing the legalisation of marijuana. Tonight, Democrats all across Iowa are deciding which experience counts, which experience matters more to them, which experience we want for ourselves in the White House. It's looking like a tight race, and Kamala Harris may very well pull this off, but we're not done here. Our movement has only just begun, whether we win or we lose tonight. Campaigns for justice, for fairness, for equality, for reform, are never easy, nor are campaigns against broken institutions and the establishment. But we've worked together, and we will work together, to make this campaign win!"

Loud cheers erupt from campaign staff, and for those not present in Iowa City, the speech is being live-streamed on YouTube - so Cooper's supporters "from Sioux City to South Carolina" can hear what he has to say.

[Schiff for Senate]

ROY COOPER: CONCESSION TIME

"Well, folks, the result have come in, and it looks like Kamala Harris narrowly won the caucus tonight.

It's only right we give VP Harris the credit she's due. Congratulations, Vice-President Harris. It looks like the fundraisers you attended and the money you dumped into the state really worked wonders for you.

But like I said - this is only beginning. We may have lost this particular caucus tonight to Kamala Harris and the donors in the establishment who fear real change, but you know what? We came damn well close, and I think we've scared them. We won 19 delegates, just two less than Kamala Harris. And you know what else? Our movement is gaining traction. People, Democrats, are sick and tired of candidates who say one thing and do another, who send mixed signals, who promise progress but balk when they get the chance to achieve it.

Kamala Harris, in her speech, called me a candidate who divides Democrats. Is that true? Is it true that a record of fighting for justice, fighting for reform of our criminal justice system, a record of fighting for LGBT rights - is divisive to the Democrats? I would think that a record of throwing people in jail for marijuana, of equivocating on every issue under the sun, of missing numerous opportunities as AG to pursue justice, would be more controversial, VP Harris.

In any case, yes, we lost Iowa. But all that does is energise me, energies us and our movement. We're going to show Kamala Harris and her donors that we are sick and tired of minorities getting put on to death row, we are sick and tired of people getting criminal records for having marijuana, that we want justice and consistency - not injustice and inconsistency. Kamala Harris has promised change and is promising change once more, but the only thing Kamala Harris has been able to change during her career is her political positions!

I've promised change too, but the difference between Kamala Harris and me is that I've delivered. I've brought about that change in North Carolina - as attorney general and as governor, whether that means investigating the cases of innocent people in jail, decriminalising medical marijuana, or repealing bigoted and transphobic laws. Now, I want to bring that experience and that kind of change, to a national level, so we can bring about the reforms we as a nation so desperately need.

Although we narrowly failed in Iowa, we will make sure we use that loss to motivate us, to drive us forward in New Hampshire and South Carolina and Texas and California, to remind us of the uphill battle we're facing that we CAN and WILL win if we stick together and fight hard.

On that note - I once again congratulate Kamala Harris on her win here in Iowa, but I will also warn her that from here on out, we as a campaign and as a movement, are dedicated to ensure that there are no more such wins for her and the establishment!"

[Schiff for Senate]

"Kamala Harris has promised change in the past and is promising change once more - but the only thing she's been able to change during her career is her political positions!"

Campaign leaflets bearing these words - along with information and details about Harris' equivocation on the death penalty and ineffectiveness as California's AG are distributed across New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary next week in an attempt to discredit the Vice-President and winner of the Iowa caucus. These pamphlets have an impact in swaying progressive and liberal primary voters in New Hampshire who are undecided towards Cooper's column.

"Kamala Harris has a lot of experience - placing thousands of people in jail for having marijuana."

A similar flyer is mailed out across the Granite State which comprehensively analyses Kamala Harris' "integral role in advancing and enabling a broken criminal justice system. While Roy Cooper was busy investigating cases of innocent people in jail" - separate details of this feat are provided elsewhere in the brochure - "Kamala Harris was also busy, securing marijuana convictions and outdoing her predecessors in throwing nearly two thousand people in jail on marijuana convictions."

The pamphlet closes with a reminder to reads about the importance of their vote: "New Hampshire will decide which experience they want in the White House next Tuesday. Make sure to vote in the Democratic primaries for president."

[Schiff for Senate]

"Kamala Harris has promised change in the past and is promising change once more - but the only thing she's been able to change during her career is her political positions!"

Campaign leaflets bearing these words - along with information and details about Harris' equivocation on the death penalty and ineffectiveness as California's AG are distributed across New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary next week in an attempt to discredit the Vice-President and winner of the Iowa caucus. These pamphlets have an impact in swaying progressive and liberal primary voters in New Hampshire who are undecided towards Cooper's column.

"Kamala Harris has a lot of experience - placing thousands of people in jail for having marijuana."

A similar flyer is mailed out across the Granite State which comprehensively analyses Kamala Harris' "integral role in advancing and enabling a broken criminal justice system. While Roy Cooper was busy investigating cases of innocent people in jail" - separate details of this feat are provided elsewhere in the brochure - "Kamala Harris was also busy, securing marijuana convictions and outdoing her predecessors in throwing nearly two thousand people in jail on marijuana convictions."

The pamphlet closes with a reminder to reads about the importance of their vote: "New Hampshire will decide which experience they want in the White House next Tuesday. Make sure to vote in the Democratic primaries for president."

To ensure these powerful messages go beyond the Granite State and can be shared with voters from Los Angeles to Laredo, San Diego to San Antonio, Denver to Dallas, Charleston to Carson City - these are also turned into TV ads.

The first of these ads (aired in the media markets of DFW, Houston and El Paso in Texas; Los Angeles, San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose, Bakersfield, California; and Denver, Colorado) uses the message of "Kamala Harris has promised change in the past and is promising change once more - but the only thing she's been able to change during her career is her political positions!" and, in essence, provides examples of Harris' incompetence as AG and flip-flopping and equivocation on issues such as the death penalty.

The second ad, like its New Hampshire brochure counterpart, refers to Harris' controversial record of marijuana lockups as DA. It is aired in the media markets of San Antonio (TX), Austin (TX), Los Angeles (CA), San Diego (CA), Fresno-Visalia (CA), Sacramento-Stockton (CA), San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose (CA), Denver (CO), Columbia (SC) and Charleston (SC).

[Schiff for Senate]

COOPER ON THE JOHN KERRY CANDIDACY:

"Well, it seems that John Kerry is now seeking the nomination, too. And frankly, I'm quite surprised by that news. That said, I'd like to welcome Mr Kerry to the race. I look forward to campaigning against him.

First of all, we really need to choose somebody younger as your nominee!" (laughs) "We as a country really need to. Back in 2016, Donald Trump broke the record of oldest president. Then, in 2020, we had a campaign between two men, one 74 and the other 78. Joe Biden won. I like and respect President Biden a great deal, but it's worth noting that with his election, he broke Trump's record to become oldest president. Now it seems like John Kerry wants to break that record yet again! John is 81 years old. We need younger candidates. We as a nation have been governed by seventy- and eighty-something presidents for the past eight years. President Biden made the right choice when he retired this year, because we need younger presidents. John Kerry was a good presidential choice back in 2004. Now, twenty years later, I'd honestly say, John Kerry should retire. We don't need to elect an 81-year-old as our president. We've elected a 70 year old, and a 78 year old, but I think it's time to draw the line and choose somebody a little younger.

Secondly, Mr Kerry said marijuana is irreverent, a non-issue. He's said I have no agenda beyond marijuana. I disagree with him on both counts. We've waited for so long, and no president, Democratic or Republican, has been able or willing to legalise marijuana. We still have a broken criminal justice system, one that disproportionately incarcerates African-Americans. And when we've got one of the presidential candidates whose record includes putting people in jail for having marijuana, a record of enabling the criminal justice system, and another candidate who has consistently fought for the reform of the criminal justice system, I think that's worth considering. Now, it's worth considering that the third presidential candidate doesn't think our criminal justice system is even worth addressing! And yes, yes, I was endorsed by Eric Adams. But if you listened to what Eric said, my support for legal weed really had nothing to do with his endorsement. Eric endorsed me because of integrity and consistency, because he's noticed that I've been consistent in my views much more than VP Harris has. Listen, I may disagree with him on marijuana, but Eric himself has a record of consistency. So, to be endorsed by him because I'm relatively consistent in my political positions, was a great honour to me.

I get what John is saying, though. I HAVE been making a lot of comments about marijuana and the criminal justice system. Absolutely. I can't deny that. However, to say that my campaign hasn't taken climate change seriously is laughable, is laughable. John, we all appreciate your time as Special Envoy to President Biden on climate change, believe me, we really do. However, it's disingenuous to suggest you are the only candidate who cares about climate change, who has addressed climate change, or who is prepared to combat climate change. And on this count I'll defend Kamala's record as well as my own, because, as I've said in the past, on this one issue, we cannot afford any infighting. We must be united on climate change. So, I set up, if you remember, a climate conference. Kamala attended, as did Senator Tammy Baldwin and Governor Kathy Hochul. So did a Republican, Governor Phil Scott. Listen, I wouldn't have allowed a Republican to join if I was doing this to win votes, or for political purposes. But I welcomed his presence, and here's why: because I really think this issue is the most serious of our time, and we need whatever cooperation, whatever support, whatever agreement, whatever progress we can get. But anyway, it was a productive talk, and we came away with over a dozen great ideas we've all pledged to implement. Among those are: heavier investment in rail systems and public transportation; working intentionally with major countries such as China and India to get them to agree to decrease carbon emissions, expanding lanes for walking and biking to promote environmentally friendly modes of travel, a fund to help coal miners and help them transition, the hiring of young people to plant trees and pick up plastic. That's just to name a few. My point is: I'm serious, and Kamala Harris is serious, when it comes to this issue. Neither of us are taking it at all lightly or ignoring this issue, so to attack us on that issue, that's, that's, not right. I'd absolutely welcome you cooperating with us, working with us, on this issue, so that we are all united. If you're unwilling to, that's fine. But do not say that I am not, or Kamala Harris is not, serious about this issue."

[Schiff for Senate]

On January 23, Roy Cooper arrives in Nashua. He holds a rally with State Senator Cindy Rosenwald, where, among other subjects, he discusses his plans to "balance the Supreme Court:"

"I intend to nominate only judges who absolutely, 100%, support a woman's right to bodily autonomy, her right to consent to a medical procedure - her right, in other words, her right to have an abortion. But beyond that, I will support judges who oppose rulings like Citizens United and McDonald v. Chicago. I will support judges who respect the Ninth Amendment, who respect the context with which the Second Amendment was written. I will support judges who support labour and labour unions over big corporations. I will support only solid liberals. I mean, right now, it's still a 6-3 conservative majority. That is crazy, and it's because Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell colluded - because of their double-standards and hypocrisy. It's time to balance the court. If we are not able to through regular means balance the court to a more even ideological composition, I will absolutely not rule out court packing. It is no more outrageous or unfair than Mitch McConnell's actions - denying Merrick Garland even a hearing, and then jamming through Amy Coney Barrett's nomination in the last days before the election."


After the rally, Cooper heads east, hosting a town hall in Hudson and another in Pelham. Both town halls are fairly mellow. The primary highlight is the exchange that follows (from the Hudson town hall):

VOTER: "Governor Cooper, Vice-President Harris said that she really had no power as DA to legalise marijuana, but that she worked within the system to reform it, and that she actually didn't put people in jail, but just gave them fines. Until now I've been leaning towards you because I'm a strong supporter of criminal justice reform, but it feels to me like you've distorted the truth. It feels like Kamala Harris supports criminal justice reform too, and now I'm leaning towards her. Could you reiterate why you are a stronger champion for reforming the system than her?"

COOPER: "Well, ma'am, thank you for the question. Yes, it is true that as district attorney, Kamala Harris really could not legalise marijuana. I acknowledge that fact.

But it's not just marijuana. Kamala Harris, John Kerry, have made jokes that I've only talked about weed. But really, when I say criminal justice reform, I'm talking about much more than that. Yes, I've stressed Kamala Harris' marijuana lockups, but it is not as if that is all.

Kamala Harris, when it comes to other crucial questions and issues regarding the criminal justice system, either flip-flops or backs the system. In other cases, she says she supports reform, but when she has the power to advance reform, she won't change a thing.

Yes, as DA, Kamala could not do much beyond prosecution. I acknowledge that. But what about as AG? Kamala Harris and I both served as attorneys general of our states. Our records, however, are radically different. Kamala Harris did not support amendments to end the death penalty in California, despite the fact that death row is disproportionately African-American and Hispanic, despite the evidence that innocent people get executed, despite having refused to use the death penalty as DA. She also, when two African-American were fatally shot by the police in LA and San Francisco, refused to look into the subject. As for me, though? Well, as AG, I did investigate. In fact, I was at the forefront and front lines of a major investigation that revealed the problems with our present criminal justice system. There was a man, Gregory Taylor. He served 17 years in jail. In 2010, though, I looked into the matter. What did I discover? There had been a massive suppression of evidence on the part of the forensics lab. I dug deeper. And what I then discovered was shocking. For 20 years, certain agents at the state Bureau of Investigation had been withholding and suppressing crucial evidence. They didn't keep up with testing or updated scientific standards. 230 criminal cases had been tainted as a result of this massive misconduct. Three of the people who were involved in those cases had already been executed. Another 80 were still imprisoned. From there, we launched a massive investigation into all those cases, to ensure that nobody innocent had to remain in jail because of forensic misconduct. When did I REFUSE to do anything? Not when it came to the police killing African-Americans, or the abolition of the death penalty. Instead, I refused to take action when I was asked to defend HB 2 - the transphobic and unconstitutional bathroom bill. I refused to defend such unjust, unconstitutional and bigoted laws.

So, Kamala Harris' record on criminal justice reform is shaky, inconsistent, uninspiring. It's filled with big promises and little action. My record as AG, on the other hand, is plain as day: wherever I have seen injustice, misconduct, unfairness, I have investigated. I've dug deep, dug as deep as necessary in the pursuit of justice."