Are Biden and Harris different on the issues, campaign trail? What surrogates in NC say
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Democratic National Convention: What NC voters should know
National conventions are known for announcing party nominations and platforms. So how could this Democratic National Convention with a brand-new presidential campaign be different? And what role will North Carolina play in the upcoming election? Here is ongoing coverage of the DNC from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer.
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Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is looking to chart its own course on key issues while keeping a focus on North Carolina ahead of the November election.
Supporters including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren gathered at the Mecklenburg Democratic Party’s headquarters in uptown Charlotte on Friday in support of Harris, with a focus on abortion access. The event happened just as Harris officially secured enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee, less than two weeks after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.
Harris has brought a renewed focus to abortion as her campaign looks to build on an early surge in momentum and define Harris beyond her role as Biden’s vice president. Whereas Biden at times frustrated abortion rights advocates with his handling of the issue, Harris is putting it at the forefront of her campaign.
At Friday’s event, local candidates and activists shared their personal histories with domestic violence, sexual assault and abortion in front of an enthusiastic, largely female crowd.
Woodson Bradley, the Democratic nominee in state Senate District 42, expressed appreciation for the Harris campaign’s willingness to talk about those issues.
“If we start having courageous conversations about a prickly topic, that’s how we get it done,” she told reporters after the event.
But there were familiar themes, too, Friday from the now-defunct Biden reelection campaign, including an emphasis on how vital North Carolina and Mecklenburg County could be to the presidential election.
“Understand this: The rest of America? We’re counting on you in North Carolina,” Warren told supporters.
Harris campaign leans in on abortion, ‘law and order’
Biden’s campaign was talking about abortion in North Carolina, but Harris has been more outspoken on the issue. While Biden’s stance on the issue has changed over his years in politics, Harris has been more blunt and visited a Planned Parenthood clinic while in office.
At Friday’s event, Bradley spoke about the fear of getting pregnant she felt when she was raped as a young woman by an abusive partner.
“I won the coin toss that day, and thankfully I wasn’t pregnant, but I still had a choice,” she said. “Having said that, I cannot fathom that my daughter, or anyone else’s daughter, would grow up in a state where she didn’t have the freedom to make a choice that was best for her.”
Reproductive rights advocate Betty Gunz shared her story of nearly dying from complications from an abortion before Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in the U.S.
“State Bureau of Investigation agents came to my hospital room to question me while I was still hovering between life and death. I got kicked out of school. That was what happened to women who had abortions before Roe v. Wade. And with all that I was one of the lucky ones because I survived,” she told the crowd, inspiring chants of “We will not go back.”
Warren also touted Harris’s “law and order” credentials, noting she was a prosecutor and attorney general of California.
“When you’re going up against a convicted felon, who better than a prosecutor to make that case?” she said.
What hasn’t changed: Focus on Project 2025, Mecklenburg turnout
Harris’s campaign isn’t completely shifting away from Biden’s messaging.
Speakers at Friday’s event continued to try to tie Trump to the controversial Project 2025, despite the Republican nominee’s efforts to distance himself from the plan developed by a right-wing think tank.
“It is his rubric to how he’s going to dismantle our rights and dismantle the administrative state of the United States of America,” Anderson said.
Democrats also continued their push to encourage greater voter turnout in Mecklenburg County, where the party has been frustrated by sagging numbers in recent elections.
“North Carolina is right here at the center of the nation’s attention,” Warren said.
The event ended with a call for attendees to sign up to canvas and phone bank for Harris.
Early polls suggest Harris could be gaining ground in North Carolina, where Biden was consistently trailing Trump despite early investment by Democrats in organizing and advertising.
“It’s undeniable the amount of energy, the enthusiasm that has come with her announcement … Everybody was so ready for her energy,” Bradley said.
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 4:58 PM.
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