Full Breakdown
Roy Cooper Rejects “Promise to America” as He Courts North Carolina Voters
By Drooid · · How we work
Senate Race Spotlight: Roy Cooper’s Position on the Socialist Platform
Former governor Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, told a Fox News-produced video interview that he will not sign the “Promise to America,” a pledge drafted by moderate Democrats to repudiate socialist positions. Cooper argued that the Democratic Party must remain a “big-tent” organization to compete with a shrinking Republican base. Cooper’s campaign reiterated that his only pledge is to North Carolina voters and that he is not a socialist.
Context: Democratic Socialists of America and the “Promise to America”
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) describe a platform that includes abolishing the U.S. Senate, ending private ownership of corporations, and eliminating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Their website also outlines policies such as publicly funded retirement, universal housing, and the transformation of food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation into “common goods and utilities.” While Cooper’s comments reference the growing presence of DSA-backed candidates, he is not affiliated with the organization and has positioned himself as a centrist capable of working with a Republican-controlled legislature during his 2017-2025 governorship.
Official Statements & Responses
Cooper’s campaign declined to comment on specific policy overlaps, stating that his commitments are “reserved for his constituents.” Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned that moderates are “terrified of the extreme left” and that finding middle ground “is … not high” in prospects between now and election day. Cruz also suggested that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is “truly terrified” of the leftward shift within the Democratic Party.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I don’t see any need to,” — Roy Cooper
- “We could fall to the autocracy, anytime we don’t stick together.” — Roy Cooper
