Weekend reads: In a battleground state, it all comes down to voter turnout
Editor’s note: The general election is finally here — Tuesday, Nov. 5th. Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters can find their polling place and sample ballot here.
The following is a collection of NC Newsline stories from the final week of the long campaign season.
Harris ignites enthusiasm in Raleigh as presidential contest comes down to the wire
It’s likely the vice president’s next-to-last visit to North Carolina prior to Election Day.
RALEIGH — Lynnette Johnson of Raleigh works four jobs, but she still stays up until 3:30 a.m. at times to make wood flowers that she’s donating to the Harris-Walz campaign as a sign of unity.
Johnson has given the pieces of art to the mayors of Raleigh and Durham, as well as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. She gave a red, white, and blue flower to the Secret Service with the hopes that Vice President Kamala Harris will receive the gift and wear it on election night. [Read more...]
Bonus reads:
- Kamala Harris and Donald Trump rally supporters in North Carolina on Saturday
- Republicans supporting Harris say “Whisper Caucus” could swing the election
- Puerto Ricans in North Carolina express outrage in wake of comedian’s remarks at Trump rally
In Rocky Mount, Trump tries to turn the table on “garbage” remarks
Reeling from days of backlash over his Madison Square Garden rally, former President Donald Trump went on the offensive in a speech at Rocky Mount, railing against remarks by President Joe Biden in which it appeared to some that he called Trump supporters “garbage.”
“Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters,” Trump said, drawing a chorus of boos from the crowd of about 4,000. “He called them garbage.” [Read more…]
Bonus read:
NC Appeals Court rejects GOP attempt to block some overseas voters
By: Lynn Bonner
The state Court of Appeals on Monday turned back Republicans’ attempt to have the state set aside ballots from some citizens living overseas and reject some of their registration forms.
In doing so, the Appeals Court upheld a trial court judge’s decision denying Republicans’ request for a restraining order. [Read more…]
Stein raises $44.6M in NC governor’s race, 11 times more than Robinson
The third quarter spans the period between July 1 and Oct. 19.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein raised 11 times as much as his Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the North Carolina gubernatorial contest during the third quarter, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
Stein received $44.6 million in the fundraising period between July 1 and Oct. 19 while Robinson brought in about $4 million. Reports for the third quarter were due earlier this week.[Read more…]
Swing state groups warn mass deportation will hurt economy, separate a third of Latino families
By: Michael Lyle
Latino organizers in battleground states warned former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportation could put an estimated one in three Latino families at risk of separation and “destabilize our economy.”
With less than a week before Election Day, Latino groups nationwide hosted a virtual call on Tuesday to rebuke Trump’s immigration policies as well as proposals outlined in Project 2025.
Recent data from the bipartisan political advocacy and research group Fwd.US projects that one in 12 total U.S. residents, and nearly one in three Latinos, are at risk of deportation and family separation under Trump’s proposals.[Read more...]
Affordable housing bonds totaling $165M on the ballot in four NC towns and cities
Voters in at least four North Carolina cities and towns will be asked to approve affordable housing bonds totaling $165 million in this year’s general election.
In Charlotte, voters have been asked to approve a $100 million housing bond the majority of which—$35 million—will go toward producing rental housing. The bond ask doubles the $50 million housing bond Charlotte voters approved in 2022. [Read more…]
NC lawmakers look to Congress for additional Helene relief, but action unlikely before mid-November
Lawmakers in North Carolina have laid out $877 million in state aid for Hurricane Helene recovery in the mountains — an effort many are hoping will be bolstered by help from Capitol Hill.
“This will be a major amount of the pressure that we have got to put on the U.S. Congress,” Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said on the floor of the state Senate last week. “To make sure that we can have the resources necessary to allow western North Carolina to rebuild itself.” [Read more…]
In the Hurricane Helene response, signs of hope and lunacy at a fraught moment (commentary)
In a political year in which a steady stream of good and hopeful news and policy progress has been accompanied by a relentless drumbeat of disinformation and delusion, it’s unsurprising that one of the year’s biggest events and news stories – Hurricane Helene – has produced just such a maddening combination of late in North Carolina.
The encouraging news, of course, is to be found in the response we’ve seen from elected leaders, public officials and average citizens of all political stripes. [Read more…]