Election 2024 | Early voting in North Carolina hits record in 2020, Democrats and Republicans excited

With 12 days until Election Day, both presidential campaigns are making a big push for North Carolina.

It’s a state that Democrats have been hoping to swing for the first time since 2008, and I think young voters and students are a key part of that equation.

On Thursday, encouraged by a sea of ​​Blue Devils, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz bet on a North Carolina blue.

“What he’s going to win is for each of you to encourage someone to make their angels better,” the Democratic vice presidential candidate told the crowd gathered at Duke University’s student union.

With an early voting site on campus, Walz hoped students would go straight from rally to vote.

Walz’s speech hit some of the Democrats’ main points, such as change and reproductive rights.

Walz also weighed in recent comments by former President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly.

“(Trump’s) tendencies to lean toward dictatorship are not American,” Walz said. “It’s absolutely terrible the things that he’s proposing, but here’s what I’m saying is, you know what’s great about the fact that he’s never going to be president again, he’s never going to be president.”

But before he left, Walz, a former high school assistant football coach, had to go where he felt at home.

“It really has a high school gym feel to it, that’s great,” he said upon entering Cameron Indoor Stadium.

He took a quick tour of the court and met Duke men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer.

And while that photo op might help turn off Duke voters, the campaign is also making sure it’s even-handed. Doug Emhoff appeared in Tar Heel country this week.

Ending a basketball bipartisanship, Emhoff posted on X “UNC and Duke students will always be rivals — but they both agree on one thing: vote for Kamala.”

After departing Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Walz headed to events in Greenville, followed by Wilmington, where he was scheduled to appear alongside music artist James Taylor.