He ran for Governor of North Carolina in the 2016 election against incumbent Pat McCrory. On December 5, McCrory conceded the election, making Cooper the first challenger to defeat a sitting governor in North Carolina since 1850. Cooper took office as the 75th governor of North Carolina on January 1, 2017. The Republican-dominated legislature passed bills in a special session before he took office to reduce his power. The legislature has overridden several of his vetoes of legislation.