Ronni ButtsDoug Emhoff, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, and sister, Maya Harris, rallied voters in the Research Triangle just days after vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz’s visit on Thursday.
Emhoff and Harris made their first stop at the Raleigh home of Senah Andrews, who ran for the N.C. House in 2018, to speak at a canvass launch. The two were introduced by several speakers, including Andrews, N.C. Rep. Allison Dahle, and U.S. Rep. Wylie Nickel.
“The path to the White House runs through North Carolina,” Andrews shouted.
Andrews explained various voting methods to the crowd and encouraged them to contact a hotline connected with the campaign to receive guidance if they face issues at the polls.
“Every single vote counts,” Andrews said.
Lynn Edmonds, a Wake County School Board member at the event, said she supports the Harris-Walz ticket because she believes that they would improve the nation’s education system.
“[The Trump-Vance administration] want[s] to eliminate the Department of Education, which is insane. And Harris-Walz will not do that. They will actually support teachers and support students and support public schools.”
Because of two medical emergencies in the crowd, scheduled speeches by Emhoff and Harris were cut short, but Emhoff still offered a brief message.
“You have to go out there and make a case,” said Emhoff.
He described Trump as “a terrible president” and encouraged the crowd to vote despite the “fog of misinformation” that has been circling throughout the United States.
After their brief endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket, they then traveled to a Carrboro field office to greet volunteers and help pack Hurricane Helene relief boxes.
On the way, the two stopped to order ice cream at N.C. State University’s Howling Cow Dairy. While holding their cones, both spoke to the press, encouraging North Carolinians to vote early.
“Don’t forget that Election Day is the last day to vote. And so early voting is important. You never know what might happen on Election Day. You might have a flat tire. You might not get childcare. So, get out and vote now while you can,” Harris said.
North Carolinians can vote and register in-person until 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Voting continues until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
While at the office, both Emhoff and Harris emphasized the importance of relief efforts to Western North Carolina.
Emhoff said the Biden-Harris administration’s allocation of more than $300 million to hurricane relief in North Carolina and the creation of a new Community Liaison program with the Federal Emergency Management Agency will increase access to assistance in North Carolina.
“Those are the facts,” Emhoff said to discredit Trump’s claims that FEMA is only offering $750 in total to recent hurricane survivors and that FEMA funds have been absorbed to take care of immigrants. FEMA recently released a statement affirming that it does indeed have the funds to aid citizens and encourages those in need to apply.
Before leaving North Carolina to continue campaigning in Florida, Emhoff and Harris spoke to a full house at the Cat’s Cradle, a small music venue in Carrboro, just miles from UNC Chapel Hill.
Harris praised the North Carolina crowd for a record-breaking early voting turnout on its first day, amassing 353,166 cast ballots statewide, beating the last record set in 2020 by 1.3%, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
“You young people may very well decide the outcome of this election,” Harris told the crowd.
Shortly after Emhoff began his speech, he was interrupted by two shouting protesters, one holding a Palestinian flag and claiming that a vote for Harris is “a vote for genocide.” To this, Emhoff yelled “Bye!” The two protesters were quickly escorted out the Cat’s Cradle building accompanied by boos from the crowd. Emhoff then resumed his speech.
He spoke ruthlessly about former President Donald Trump and his vice-presidential running mate Sen. J.D. Vance.
“He has no other policies than to be a dictator,” Emhoff said.
He also told the crowd that Trump only claims to your friend. But he is not. “Don’t fall for it,” he said.
He attacked Trump’s affinity for the wealthy and frequently mentioned Elon Musk, known as the richest man in the world. Musk is a vocal supporter of Trump and has provided, according to CNN, nearly $75 million to a super PAC he created to support Trump.
“He is a threat to women,” Emhoff continued, emphasizing Trump’s nomination of judges that overthrew Roe v. Wade. “He claims that he’s here to protect our women and ‘without abortion women love me.’ Is that true?” The crowd shouted “No!” in response.
Emhoff concluded encouraging young people vote. If Trump is elected president, he said, “your lives will be fundamentally worse.”
Maya Harris will continue to campaign in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Monroe before leaving North Carolina on Wednesday. Tim Walz will return to the Triangle on Thursday.
