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STORY: The list of potential running mates for Kamala Harris narrowed on Monday.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer both say they're not in the running to join the presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee on the ticket.

The high-stakes decision has taken center-stage since Vice President Harris became the Democratic frontrunner for the November election just over a week ago after President Joe Biden ended his White House bid.

:: File

:: “wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket." - Roy Cooper, North Carolina Governor

Cooper withdrew from Harris' vice presidential candidate pool on Monday, saying in a statement that he was honored to be considered, but that it “wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket."

On the same day, Whitmer said on CBS that she was "not a part of the vetting" process for Harris' running mate.

Vice presidential nominees can be used to balance a presidential candidate's ticket to appeal to a wider swath of voters.

Harris is weighing a list of mostly white, male candidates.

She took a break from the campaign trail this weekend and held private conversations with several of the candidates, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, according to two sources familiar with the calls.

Others under consideration include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.