Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are making a last-minute push in North Carolina on Saturday, each vying for support in this critical battleground state just days ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election. Saturday marks the fourth consecutive day that Vice President Harris and former President Trump are scheduled to visit the same state, underscoring the importance of the seven battleground states that could ultimately decide the election. Polls suggest the race remains extremely tight, with voters split nearly evenly.
With more than 70 million Americans having already voted, enthusiasm remains high despite fewer early ballots compared to 2020. This is partly attributed to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic during the last election cycle. North Carolina, where over 3.8 million ballots have already been cast, will close its early voting Saturday, even as parts of the state are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene’s recent flooding.
Harris is set to make an appearance with musician Jon Bon Jovi in Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, which is tied with Georgia for being one of the most valuable swing states, each holding 16 Electoral College votes. In 2020, North Carolina went narrowly for Trump, though a Democratic governor was elected on the same day, suggesting the state could swing in either direction. “It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing, the work being done by American workers, upholding and lifting up good union jobs,” Harris stated earlier in Wisconsin before departing for North Carolina. “That is the way we are going to win the competition with China for the 21st century.”
Trump, meanwhile, will address supporters in Gastonia at noon before returning to speak at Greensboro’s First Horizon Coliseum later in the day. “This election is a choice between whether we … have four more years of gross incompetence and failure, or whether we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country,” Trump told a crowd in Michigan on Friday.
