Nancy Pelosi will headline North Carolina Democrats’ annual Unity Dinner on Saturday, July 20. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will address North Carolina Democrats this weekend, as the party aims to regain momentum nationally and consolidate support around Joe Biden as its presidential nominee.
Pelosi will join Gov. Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein, Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and other statewide candidates in Raleigh on Saturday for the state party’s annual Unity Dinner.
Unity will be top of the mind for many attendees. Biden’s performance at a June debate and in subsequent interviews has spurred questions in recent weeks about his ability to effectively campaign for and win a second term.
Some elected Democrats have called for him to step aside as nominee in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, while others have reaffirmed their support for Biden; the president has repeatedly said he intends to stay in, and that only the “Lord Almighty” could change his mind.
Pelosi, Saturday evening’s headliner, has been quietly fielding calls from Democrats in vulnerable districts who are concerned about Biden’s ability to win and impact other races, POLITICO reported on Tuesday.
She no longer wields the gavel or the reins over House Democrats, but remains an influential voice in the party. And in an MSNBC interview last week, she stopped short of fully endorsing his reelection efforts, saying “it’s up to the president to decide if he’s going to run.” (Biden, at the time of that interview, had already said he intended to stay in the race.)
The president’s reelection campaign has held a steady series of appearances in North Carolina during recent weeks, including two visits from Harris and one from First Lady Jill Biden.
Clayton, the state party chair, told reporters last week that “we are fully behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris leading our ticket.”
The Democratic National Committee has also spent $1.2 million in North Carolina so far for this election cycle in an effort to support the top of the ticket and down ballot candidates.
On Wednesday, Clayton said that the dinner would be focused on mobilizing voters to win races as well as thanking party volunteers that have been involved in organizing over the last year.
“We have to make sure that we’re reaching voters where they are,” Clayton said. “I think that for a long time as a party, we’ve expected people to come to us. And so, I’m expecting to hear a lot about the fact that we need to go out there and chase every single one of your friends, neighbors, the people you may be afraid to talk to right now about politics.”
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