Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz meets Duke basketball coach at NC campaign stop
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz visited Duke University on Thursday, the start of a full day Walz is spending in North Carolina with less than two weeks remaining until Election Day.
“Coach on three!” a staffer called out as Walz posed beneath a hoop in Cameron Indoor Stadium for a photo with Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer.
The gym visit was a surprise addition to the schedule for Walz, who goes by Coach in a throwback to his years as a high school teacher and the defensive coordinator for the school’s football team.
“It really does have a high school gym feel to it,” he commented as he walked inside, energized from a traditional rally held moments earlier with college students on the picturesque Durham campus.
The Minnesota governor’s swing state tour is intensifying with just 12 days remaining until Nov. 5, and it’s his second time in Durham in the past week. On this visit, he sought to drum up turnout among young voters in North Carolina.
“I know you run into your friends who say, ‘Ah, I’m sick of it. I’m just not that into politics.’ Too damn bad, politics is into you,” Walz told the students.
The State Board of Elections reported Thursday morning that over 2 million votes have already been cast across the state during early voting. That’s around 25.75% of eligible voters.
About 15.7% of registered voters under the age of 25 have cast ballots in Durham during early voting, the lowest turnout among any age group, according to county elections officials.
“This is now the ground game. This is now the door to door,” Walz continued. “This thing is far from over.”
Before Walz leaves the state, he will stop in Greenville and hold a rally in Wilmington.
Walz spends the day in North Carolina
Walz flew into Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday night and stayed in a hotel near the airport. He traveled through Durham in a lengthy motorcade that stopped traffic on multiple highways in the lunch hours.
His rally at Duke started at 12:45 p.m. in a crowded Bryan Center, where students held “Youth for Harris-Walz” and “Blue Devils for Harris-Walz” signs. They began filming on cellphones and chanting “Vote! Vote! Vote!” as he took the stage.
Walz emphasized abortion and climate change to the young audience, and cracked a joke about billionaire Elon Musk’s support for the Republican ticket.
“Buy a bumper sticker if your parents, or if you, own a Tesla, saying you didn’t know how weird he was,” Walz said.
He also brought up comments made by Gen. John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff under Donald Trump, accusing Trump of being a fascist.
“In my 60 damn years, I didn’t think I’d ever see a candidate for president praising Adolf Hitler’s generals or talking about using the military against their enemies,” Walz said.
Candidates have flocked to North Carolina in the campaign’s final stretch. It’s a key state in the Electoral College, and it’s considered a toss-up in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump made four stops in North Carolina this week, and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris held a rally Oct. 13.
The Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance, is visiting the state on Friday to speak at an event in Raeford, about 90 miles southwest of Raleigh, and to hold a town-hall event in Monroe, near Charlotte.
Walz himself was last in the Triangle a week ago, campaigning with former President Bill Clinton.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz meets Duke basketball coach at NC campaign stop."
