Will Mark Robinson be governor? Here's what happens if Roy Cooper is Kamala Harris' VP pick

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's potential nomination for running mate for Kamala Harris became a bit closer to reality after he was named as one of the candidates slated to have their backgrounds evaluated for the role.

As a moderate Southern leader with ample experience in politics - including his two four-year terms served as N.C. Governor - Cooper is an attractive potential vice president to many. However, a provision in N.C.'s constitution states that, while the governor is out of state, the lieutenant governor assumes the role of acting governor.

With controversial conservative Mark Robinson as Cooper's lieutenant governor counterpart, the question then arises: What could Robinson do as acting governor?

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Will Roy Cooper resign if he becomes the VP candidate?

Though N.C. law dictates that Robinson will act as governor while Cooper is not in the state, this doesn't mean that Cooper will be required to resign if be becomes Harris' vice president pick.

Chris Cooper, a professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, explained that politicians run campaigns from office all the time.

"As an example, Kamala Harris is Vice President of the United States and running for President of the United States," Cooper said. "JD Vance is a U.S. senator, and he's running for vice president. So this happens more often than not. It's rare that you get a politician who's unemployed for the time that they're a candidate."

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Will Mark Robinson serve as governor if Roy Cooper leaves the state?

Robinson will be the acting governor during any duration of time Cooper spends out of state - for campaign purposes or otherwise. So, what can Robinson actually get done as acting governor?

"The short answer is not much," Cooper said. "North Carolina has one of, if not the weakest governors in the country, so there's not much even that a permanent governor can do."

Cooper added that, in theory, Robinson could:

• Pass bills - "They could pass a bill quickly, get Mark Robinson to sign it before Roy Cooper gets back, and have it become law. But they already have a supermajority, so they don't need to rely on these kind of crazy scenarios. They can already pass essentially any bill they want to into law without Cooper's approval."

• Issue executive orders - "He could do executive orders, but Roy Cooper could change his executive orders right when he got back into town."

• Draw media coverage - "What I think he would likely do is call press conferences, use it as an opportunity to draw media coverage. But, you know, Mark Robinson has never had a problem getting media coverage. So I don't even being a particularly big draw."

More: NC Gov. Cooper now being vetted as potential Harris VP pick; among 7 being considered

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Kamala Harris VP: What will Mark Robinson do if Roy Cooper is chosen?