Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will hold overlapping rallies in North Carolina on Wednesday, amid recent polling that indicates a tight race in the battleground state.
Harris is expected to speak at 12:30 p.m. EST in Raleigh, just moments before Trump will take the stage in Rocky Mountain at 1 p.m. EST.
The dueling candidates’ back-to-back rallies, held just six days before Election Day, will take place at locations roughly 60 miles apart.
Nearly 3.2 million early votes have already been cast in the Old North State as of Tuesday, according to the State’s Board of Elections, representing 40.7% of the state’s registered voter population.
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Former President Trump pumps his fist during a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Cornell Watson/Getty Images)
A Marist Poll survey, released on Oct. 24, found that Trump is leading Harris by 2 percentage points among likely voters in North Carolina, 50% to 48%.
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The survey also found Trump leading the Democratic nominee among Independent voters, 53% to 42%. The poll was conducted Oct. 17-22 among 1,513 North Carolina adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“With 16 Electoral College votes, North Carolina could help offset Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in the scramble to get to 270,” Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said alongside the polling results. “But Trump has carried North Carolina both in 2016 and 2020. The outcome this time may hinge on whether Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor who significantly trails, dampens Republican enthusiasm with an adverse impact on Trump’s effort.”
Quinnipiac University also released a poll, a week prior, that showed Harris with a slight lead over Trump, 49% to 47%. Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver received 1% of the vote in the survey.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 10-14 with 1,031 likely voters in North Carolina questioned and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
People wait outside an early-voting site on Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
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Harris and Trump have been barnstorming battleground states in the weeks leading up to the election, and both campaigns have put a heavy focus on North Carolina in the race to win the state’s 16 key electoral votes.