Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets supporters during a rally at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre on October 30 in Raleigh. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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.
She said she’s supporting the Democratic ticket because costs for basic necessities like rent and food are too high.
“I work four jobs, and I can’t afford healthcare,” Johnson said.
Johnson was one of thousands of attendees who attended the Harris rally at Walnut Creek Amphitheater on Wednesday, with a capacity of 20,000. It was likely her next-to-last visit to North Carolina before the election in six days. WCNC.com is reporting that Harris will hold a rally in Charlotte on Saturday — the final day of early voting.
She’s not the only candidate appearing in the critical swing state during the final stretch. Her running mate Tim Walz is making political stops in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Asheville on Wednesday.
On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Rocky Mount around the same time as the Harris event — about an hour away and at a venue with a capacity of 4,000. Vice presidential nominee JD Vance will hold an exclusive campus town hall at High Point University on Thursday. (Editor’s note: NC Newsline will have coverage of Trump’s rally later today.)
Harris highlighted the differences between herself and Trump, pointing out that one of them will take the Oval Office in just under three months.
“If he is elected, on Day One, Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemy’s list,” Harris said. “When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.”
The audience in Raleigh was electric, cheering loudly throughout the program — noise levels exceeded 100 decibels — and yelling “we’re not going back!” One man eagerly shouted “you got this, Josh!” and “big Coop!” when Attorney General Josh Stein and Gov. Roy Cooper each took the stage.
There were cars with license plates from Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Washington, DC in addition to North Carolina entering the venue.
At least two attendees attempted to interrupt Harris’ speech at separate times, with one yelling “war criminal” and other inaudible words. The vice president seized the opportunity to dunk on her opponent.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t think people who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail, I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
A sea of hands shot up from the crowd when U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel asked who’s already voted early in North Carolina.
Nickel opted not to seek reelection to the 13th congressional district due to gerrymandering placing him in an area that leans strongly Republican.
“Gerrymandering isn’t just about drawing crooked lines, it’s an attack on our democracy designed to silence the will of the people,” Nickel said. “This election, it’s about protecting your voice.”
That’s what brought Karen Smith of Raleigh out to the event.
She’s witnessed a lot of change during the 40 years she’s been a nurse. In particular, she’s concerned about the threats that a Trump-Vance presidency would pose to abortion rights and reproductive freedom.
“Our democracy is at risk,” she said.
Smith said she went to Washington for former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, and she’s planning to do the same if Harris gets elected.
As a Black woman, she’s thrilled about the representation and the historic nature of the first Black president and Black woman president. Obama was the last Democratic presidential nominee to win the Tar Heel State in 2008.
“My ancestors fought for my rights, and I’m fighting to keep those rights for my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren,” Smith said.