Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz had a message for voters in Gastonia on Sunday night: “Win this thing for America, North Carolina.”
Walz flew into Charlotte Douglas International Airport around 6:30 p.m. before heading to Gastonia with a group of reporters traveling by motorcade. He spoke briefly at RayNathan’s, a barbecue restaurant, before mingling with supporters and customers.
He mentioned some well-known campaign priorities, such as tax cuts for the middle class and protecting abortion rights. The most important message, though: “If we win North Carolina, this is over.”
Several local officials and candidates welcomed him to the airport, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Labor Commissioner candidate and former City Councilman Braxton Winston and Senator Mujtaba Mohammed.
North Carolina a key state
In the days leading up to Nov. 5, North Carolina was the focus of the campaigns of both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Trump spent much of Saturday, the last day for early voting, in Gastonia and Greensboro before heading east to Kinston on Sunday. “Nov. 5 will be the most important day in the history of our country,” he told his supporters.
The former president continues to spread misinformation about the government’s response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated much of western North Carolina as a tropical storm and killed dozens of people.
Although the claim has been debunked, he said Saturday that FEMA funds were being diverted to undocumented immigrants. As NPR has reported, the money spent in Helene’s aftermath came from Congress’s Disaster Relief Fund, not from the agency’s operating budget.
Trump also shared a claim, debunked by PBS, that immigrants are “taking jobs from African Americans and Hispanic Americans, and especially from African Americans.” And he promoted a plan to end tax tips, overtime and Social Security benefits.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance and son Donald Trump Jr. also went to Sanford this weekend.
Meanwhile, Harris held a rally in Charlotte on Saturday with several celebrities and Democratic politicians from the state and city.
She said she wants to cut taxes for the middle class, ban corporate price gouging on groceries, ensure Americans can afford to buy homes, help small businesses and fight for reproductive rights.
The election is an opportunity to “turn the page” on Trump, she said.
More than 3.8 million people have already voted across the state. It’s a close race. Four recent polls show there is no clear winner in North Carolina.
The last time North Carolina sought to nominate a Democrat as president was in 2008, when former President Barack Obama defeated Sen. John McCain.
