On Friday evening, several state officials and representatives participated in a Democratic rally at the Charlotte Convention Center along with former President Barack Obama, seeking to turn out voters in the final 10 days before the election.
Obama spoke in support of current vice president and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to encourage early voting and mail-in ballots.
North Carolina is a key swing state and the last time the state went blue was for Obama, in the 2008 election. Harris is also trying to make history in a state that could be a deciding factor in this year’s election.
Obama was introduced by former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. During the speech, Obama emphasized to people in the crowd that they need to both vote themselves and prepare their friends and family to vote.
He also mentioned a comment that GOP State Superintendent candidate Michele Morrow made on X four years ago as a reason he’s watching North Carolina’s elections closely.
"Apparently the Republican candidate has been spreading conspiracy theories and thinks I should face a firing squad," Obama said.
Hello, North Carolina! It’s good to be here today to talk about what’s at stake in this election. Tune in – and make sure you have a plan to vote. https://t.co/jIXHdp15vA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 25, 2024
While the emphasis was on the presidential race, Obama also urged voters to pay attention to the gubernatorial race and vote for Josh Stein.
Before Obama took to the stage, several officials spoke including, Johnson C. Smith University President Valerie Kinloch, Gov. Roy Cooper and Stein, who is currently attorney general.
Many of them urged people in the room to head to the polls right away, as the election inches closer. So far, Black early voter turnout has lagged compared to this point four years ago, though direct comparisons are hard because COVID-19 scrambled voting patterns in 2020.
