Kamala Harris, Mike Pence coming back to NC as candidates trade visits
Sen. Kamala Harris will return to North Carolina on Sunday as the pace of visits from vice-presidential candidates accelerates ahead of Tuesday’s election.
The Democratic vice-presidential nominee announced plans to appear in Goldsboro and Fayetteville, a day after Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to be in Rocky Mount and Elizabeth City, the Republican candidate’s second visit to the state in five days.
The Pence campaign also announced Saturday that he will visit Boone on Sunday, when he’ll attend a worship service at Alliance Bible Fellowship with Rev. Franklin Graham.
The current polling average as measured by RealClear Politics has Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holding a narrow lead of less than a percentage point on President Donald Trump in North Carolina amid record-setting early voting totals.
Details on Harris’ appearances Sunday have not been announced.
Harris last visited the state on Oct. 21, when she traveled to Asheville and Charlotte. That trip was rescheduled from a week earlier, when the California senator canceled after members of her campaign staff tested positive for COVID-19.
The Harris visit follows two by Biden or Harris in October — Biden traveled to Durham on Oct. 18, making a social-media splash when he stopped for Cook Out milkshakes — at a time when Trump, Pence and their surrogates have been focusing heavily on the state.
After Pence’s appearances Saturday, either Trump or Pence will have visited the state eight times in October, and Trump is scheduled to return on Monday, a day before the election. Several Trump family members have also visited the state, with the president’s son Eric making appearances in Ellerbe and Elizabethtown on Friday.
Among Democratic surrogates, Sen. Cory Booker and candidate spouses Jill Biden and Douglas Emhoff have all been in the state in the past week, with Jill Biden returning Saturday for drive-in rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams visiting the Triangle on Saturday.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 12:09 PM.
