First Lady Jill Biden excites the crowd during an Election Dat eve rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Durham. (Photo: Greg Childress)
On the eve of what is shaping up to be a close and historic presidential election regardless of the outcome, First Lady Jill Biden told a small but energetic and vocal crowd in Durham that “this is it” and urged supporters who had not yet voted to mark ballots Tuesday for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“There is one more day until we elect a new generation of leadership in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Biden said to applause.
Biden said voters must remember why they “fired” Trump in 2020.
“Four years ago in [former President] Donald Trump’s America, there was chaos and division,” Biden said. “He shut down our economy, a pandemic was raging and we were stuck inside wearing masks, washing off our groceries, schools were closed.”
After months of campaigning, Biden said she knows supporters are tired.
“But I need you to find the strength to keep going because I want you to remember 2016, the morning after the election, when we woke up and found that we had fallen short,” Biden said. “Let that feeling sustain you, invigorate you, keep you going.”
Democrats cannot come up short again, she warned the roomful of supporters.
“We have to work harder than we’ve ever worked before,” Biden said. “We have to meet this moment as though our democracy is on the line and as if our freedoms are at stake.”
Acknowledging that most of the people attending the intimate gathering at Democratic headquarters in Durham had likely voted already, Biden told them that it’s important to remind those who have not about what’s at stake Tuesday.
“Today when you’re out, let’s remind people that character and temperament matter,” Biden said.
Biden called Harris a “calm, decisive, strong leader” who has the determination and skill to bring about change. Harris, she said, is the “leader that America deserves.”
She urged supporters to also remind people that Harris has spent her career fighting on behalf of people.
“That other guy [Donald Trump], he only cares about himself,” Biden said.
Biden’s visit to North Carolina, a key battleground state in the tight race, came on the heels of visits by Harris and Trump. The two spent part of the weekend in the state rallying supporters as the grueling presidential campaign winds down. Trump wrapped up his visit today [Monday] with a campaign event at J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh.
In North Carolina, Saturday was the last day of early voting. More than 4 million voters have already cast their ballots in a race that many observers believe is a toss-up.
Meanwhile, Biden touted Harris’ economic plan, saying she will work to lower costs on housing, food and prescription drugs. Harris, she said, will build the economy from the “middle out and bottom up” and not from the “top down.”
Harris has made affordable housing a key part of her campaign for president, pledging to build three million new affordable housing units during her first term. She has also pledged to create $25,000 downpayment assistance program for first-time homebuyers. First-time homebuyers who have paid rent on time for two years would be eligible for the downpayment assistance.
Biden said Harris will also protect Social Security and Medicare and protect “our freedoms.”
“Like a women’s right to make her own health care decisions,” Biden said. “No one has to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling women what to do.”
Jocelyn C. Frye, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Partnership for Women & Families Action Fund, said a Harris administration will focus on issues important to caregivers and women.
Maternal health, reproductive rights and access to abortion are all on the ballot, Frye said.
“She [Harris] clearly and unequivocally has said she’s going to sign any piece of legislation that comes across her desk to restore access to abortion,” Frye said.
Issues such as housing, fair wages, equal pay for women, union membership and others are also on the ballot, Frye said. Harris would take office armed with solutions to those problems, she said.
“Those things are critical and this election is critical,” Frye said.
North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs also swung by Durham Democratic headquarters Monday to thank supporters for their efforts during the campaign. Riggs, who is seeking election to the seat she was appointed to in 2023, didn’t know Biden was visiting Durham.
“The vote in Durham is going to affect my election and many others statewide, so I just want to thank people for working so hard and leaving it all it all out in the field,” Riggs said.