In Raleigh on Sunday, Bill Clinton boosts Harris and issues warning about Trump
As the big, bright blue Harris-Waltz bus carrying former President Bill Clinton pulled into a parking lot near downtown Raleigh, the DJ played Isaac Hayes’ and David Porter’s “Soul Man” to mark Clinton’s arrival.
A crowd of hundreds, many wearing Harris-Waltz shirts, cheered and raised their phones up high, excited to video the 42nd president take the stage in a parking lot next to Smith Temple Baptist Church on South East Street. Clinton, who later walked out wearing jeans, a plaid button-down shirt and a blue blazer, said he’s studied many presidential elections.
‘I think you got to win Wake County big, and get the registered Democrats in Mecklenburg voting at higher rates than they normally do and win the east,” Clinton said, in his signature raspy voice.
Clinton, 78, is one of many high-profile officials visiting North Carolina, one of seven swing states, in the walk-up to the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Clinton hit North Carolina’s campaign trail Thursday with a bus tour across Eastern North Carolina, campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris and targeting rural voters across the region.
Before heading east, Clinton and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spoke in Durham Thursday, the first day of early voting.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff also plans to travel to the Research Triangle Park area Tuesday. Former President Barrack Obama plans to stump for Harris in Charlotte on Friday.
And former President Donald Trump will hold a 3 p.m. rally Monday in Greenville and another one in Greensboro at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Bill Clinton visits Raleigh
In Raleigh, Clinton’s 25 minutes of comments at an event billed as a get-out-the-vote block party, started out by poking fun at avid Trump supporter U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Clinton focused on Greene’s contention that Trump critics control the weather, resulting in Hurricane Helene harming Western North Carolina.
“Well, I agree with Bill Maher,” Clinton joked. “Anybody who can control the weather, we want them to be president.”
Clinton went on to say that a second Trump presidency would threaten democracy, and Harris’ supporters safety, before praising Harris.
“She has the intelligence, the knowledge, the experience, the guts and the common sense to be a first-rate president,” he said.
Clinton also discussed the divided country and tainted news and information systems, but said Harris is offering a new way forward. And that’s why everyone needs not only to vote, but drag everyone they know to vote, Clinton said.
‘Drive them to the polls’
Before Clinton took the stage, local and state leaders, and candidates, spoke, including Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, City Councilman Cory Branch, and Rep. Wesley Harris, who is running for state treasurer.
Their messages included that the path to the White House is through North Carolina, and that everyone needs to make a plan to vote and check on their neighbors’ and their friends’ plans.
“Drive them to the polls if you have to,” said N.C. House Rep. Ya Liu, a Wake democrat.
Make sure you don’t just don’t vote for president, others said, but for Democrats up and down the ballot.
“The eyes of the whole country are on North Carolina right now to see if we can deliver for Harris,” Liu said.
This story was originally published October 20, 2024 at 2:14 PM.
