Barack Obama to hold rally for Harris campaign in Charlotte. How to get tickets

Public tickets are available for former President Barack Obama’s first campaign swing through Charlotte of the 2024 election cycle.

Obama, the last Democrat to carry North Carolina in a presidential election, will hold a rally for the Harris-Walz campaign in the Queen City on Friday.

Members of the public can request a ticket at nc2024victory.com/obamarally. The time and location of the rally will only be announced to those who get a ticket.

The rally comes as the former president ramps up his campaigning in key states for Vice President Kamala Harris. He’s held events in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada in recent weeks and is also scheduled to appear in Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia this week.

Obama’s victory in North Carolina’s 2008 primary was critical to defeating then-Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He rallied a crowd of more than 20,000 at UNC Charlotte on Election Day eve in 2008, hours before he would become the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to carry the state on the way to his first term as president.

When he ran for reelection in 2012, Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention. And in 2016, Obama led a rally for the Clinton campaign at PNC Music Pavilion the Friday before Election Day.

The initial enthusiasm surrounding Harris after her ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket earlier this summer drew comparisons from some North Carolina Democrats to Obama’s 2008 campaign. Like Obama, her campaign focused early on positive messaging and investments in on-the-ground campaigning.

But Harris hasn’t established a firm lead in key battleground states with just two weeks until Election Day.

Recent polls show a tight race in North Carolina and nationwide. Former President Donald Trump leads Harris in North Carolina by half a percentage point, and Harris leads nationally by just under 1%, according to RealClearPolitics’ averages.

This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 12:53 PM.

Mary Ramsey

The Charlotte Observer

Mary Ramsey is the local government accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she studied journalism at the University of South Carolina and has also worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky. Support my work with a digital subscription