Cooper will almost certainly be a stronger candidate than any of those folks, he was a popular governor, and he's never lost a campaign. OTOH, he will be running against a very formidable state GOP machine and any GOP candidate not named Mark Robinson will automatically be highly competitive as they will have the magic (R) next to their name, and they can count on running up a lopsided advantage in the state's rural areas and small towns. For Cooper to win he'll have to cut into that GOP edge to some extent, and he'll need a big turnout in the state's urban areas. IMO, it's certainly doable and he's done it several times before, but it won't be easy - in North Carolina Democrats never have it easy, unless you're lucky enough to run against Mark Robinson.