RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper has alerted news media of a "special announcement" he will make Monday evening in Rocky Mount. Speculation is that Cooper will make official his desire to challenge Gov. Pat McCrory for the governor's seat.

The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Nash Community College. Cooper grew up in Nashville.

For months now, Cooper has occasionally made comments critical of McCrory and the Republican-led legislature.

His website, roycooper.com, carried this posting ahead of the Rocky Mount event:

Roy Cooper For North Carolina
We'll be back.
Monday, October 12, 6:00 p.m.

To challenge McCrory, Cooper will first have to vanquish at least one other Democrat. Durham attorne Ken Spaulding announced months ago that he wants to be the next governor.