Kamala Harris’ visit to Raleigh may cause traffic problems. Where we’re watching.
Vice President Kamala Harris came to Raleigh for a campaign rally on Friday, and the movement of her entourage is causing some traffic problems.
Harris arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 12:39 p.m. and about two hours later took the stage at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Wake Technical Community College’s North Campus, off U.S. 401.
At about 1 p.m., Raleigh police warned drivers to “expect closures and delays along the motorcade route from RDU to the campaign site” at Wake Tech.
The most direct route between RDU and Wake Tech is Interstate 540 to U.S. 401, which is also Louisburg Road.
Harris is scheduled to depart RDU at 4:50 p.m., according to her campaign. Altogether, Harris is scheduled to be in Raleigh for about four hours, and it’s not clear if she will go anywhere else besides the campaign event.
During his visit to Raleigh in January, President Joe Biden made his planned appearance at Abbott Creek Community Center, then made an unannounced stop at the Cook Out restaurant on Falls of Neuse Road before going on to a private event at a home.
The Harris presidential campaign announced Tuesday that she would visit Raleigh on Friday to talk about her plans to bolster the economy and prevent price gouging, but did not provide further details in advance. It wasn’t clear who she would be speaking to, though Gov. Roy Cooper joined her.
Harris has visited North Carolina seven previous times this year, as the Democratic ticket fights for support in what is now considered a battleground state in the presidential election.
Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were scheduled to visit Raleigh last Thursday as part of a tour of swing states after Walz joined the ticket. But they were forced to postpone their visit due to Tropical Storm Debby, which brought heavy rain and gusty winds to North Carolina.
Walz did not accompany on Friday.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance was also scheduled to be in Raleigh that day and forced to cancel because of the storm. The Trump-Vance campaign has not announced a new visit.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 9:41 AM.
