Trump holding three rallies in NC this weekend before heading to Raleigh on Monday
Former President Donald Trump is wrapping up his campaign in part with a series of rallies in North Carolina over the weekend, ending in Raleigh on Monday.
More than 4 million North Carolinians had cast ballots by mid-afternoon Friday, with registered Republicans making up the largest group of voters through Thursday — something unheard in previous elections’ early voting periods. But they still have only a slight lead over Democrats and unaffiliated voters. And it’s unclear how any of them are voting, especially the unaffiliated.
Trump’s multiple campaign stops may be a last-minute push to change voters’ minds before Election Day on Tuesday. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, kicked off the final series of stops by the Republican ticket in the state on Friday.
Vance addressed supporters Friday evening in Selma, while Trump will hold rallies in Gastonia and Greensboro on Saturday. The campaign announced Friday Trump would stop in Kinston, in Eastern North Carolina, for another rally on Sunday, and then in Raleigh on Monday at Dorton Arena, on the state fairgrounds.
The former president held a rally in Rocky Mount on Wednesday, just a few hours after Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh.
North Carolina is one of seven major battleground states where polling averages show an incredibly close race. As of Friday, 538 and RealClearPolitics showed Trump leading on average by 1.4 and 1.5 percentage points, respectively, both of which are well within the margin of error of most reputable polls.
Republicans are confident about Trump’s chances in North Carolina, which he won both in 2016 and 2020, although by a smaller margin of just 1.3 percentage points four years ago. At the same time, they’re aware that North Carolina is likely a must-win state for Trump.
While campaigning in Greenville back in September, Vance acknowledged that it would be “very hard for us to win unless we’re able to get North Carolina,” NBC News reported.
Early voting has been underway in North Carolina since Oct. 17, and ends on Saturday, Nov. 2. More than half of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters have cast their ballots either during in-person early voting, or by mail.
Vance and Donald Trump Jr. urge supporters to ‘overwhelm’ turnout
At his rally in Selma on Friday, the vast majority of supporters in the crowd raised their hands when Vance asked how many had voted early.
Vance said it was great that Republicans were “banking their votes” by heading to the polls early, but urged those who had already voted to make sure their friends and family vote as well.
“I don’t want to win North Carolina by 20,000 votes, I want to win North Carolina by 200,000 votes,” he told the cheering crowd.
Supporters were thrilled to hear Vance announce that Donald Trump Jr., who had not been previously announced as a speaker at Friday’s rally, was on his way and would be speaking as well.
The message from Trump Jr. about the urgency of getting to the polls, given how close the race is, was similar.
“For the next few days, we gotta run, we gotta fight, we gotta vote like you’re the third monkey in line for the ark, and it’s starting to rain,” Trump Jr. said to laughs from Vance, and the crowd.
The GOP nominee’s eldest son said the answer to polls showing an effectively tied race, was to “overwhelm” through turnout. He said the contrast between Trump and Harris could not be clearer.
“We’re used to politicians making promises, they’ll tell you everything you need to hear, they get your vote, and they do whatever the swamp or their special interest billionaire friends tell them to do,” he said. “This election is actually different. You’ve actually lived under the policies of both administrations.”
Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley and the GOP candidate for state auditor, Dave Boliek, addressed the crowd prior to Vance and Trump Jr. taking the stage. Other notable Republicans attending the rally included state Sen. Benton Sawrey of nearby Clayton, and Michele Morrow, the party’s nominee for superintendent of public instruction.
Ahead of Vance’s visit to the state Friday, N.C. Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said Trump’s blitz across the state in the final three days before Election Day shows that he’s worried about his chances in the state this year.
Clayton also issued a similar reminder to Harris supporters to take advantage of the last full day of early voting Saturday, send their mail-in ballots by Friday at the latest, or head to the polls on Tuesday.
“We know that Republicans don’t win the White House without winning North Carolina, so I’d say he’s pretty (expletive) scared,” Clayton said during a press conference at the office of the Johnston County Democratic Party in Smithfield.
N.C. GOP spokesman Matt Mercer said in response Friday that Trump and Vance have been “outworking” Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
“I guess they’re just exhausted and don’t have the ability to show the American people that they deserve to be elected on Tuesday,” Mercer said.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Trump holding three rallies in NC this weekend before heading to Raleigh on Monday."
