Pence, Kaine, Trump to hold Charlotte-area rallies this week

Charlotte returns to center stage in the presidential race this week, with visits by both vice presidential candidates and Republican Donald Trump.

Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee, will hold a rally in Charlotte at 1 p.m. Monday. Pence will speak at centerstage@noda, 2315 N Davidson St. Doors open at 10 a.m.

Pence’s Charlotte visit comes as presidential nominee Donald Trump faces widespread criticism from party leaders following the release of a video showing him speaking about women in vulgar sexual terms. It also will follow Sunday’s widely anticipated second debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Details and tickets: donaldjtrump.com.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine will campaign Wednesday at Davidson College. Kaine is expected to urge voters to take advantage of early voting, which starts Oct. 20.

The event will be at 5 p.m. at Chambers Hall Lawn. Members of the public can RSVP for the Kaine event at http://hrc.io/2edDiUv.

Trump will return to Charlotte for a Friday night rally at PNC Music Pavilion. The event will start at 7 p.m., with gates opening at 4 p.m.

Outside of the Charlotte area, President Barack Obama will campaign for Clinton on Tuesday in Greensboro.

The campaign visits keep North Carolina – and Charlotte in particular – as ground zero for the presidential campaign. Trump trails Clinton by an average of 2.6 points, according to Real Clear Politics. The state is viewed as a must-win for Trump.

Last Sunday, Clinton visited Charlotte, where she addressed congregants of Little Rock AME Zion, a historic black church. And Tuesday first lady Michelle Obama held campaign rallies for Clinton in Charlotte and Raleigh.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Pence, Kaine, Trump to hold Charlotte-area rallies this week."