Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-OH, delivered remarks to supporters and answered questions from the press in Raleigh Wednesday afternoon. The running mate of former President Donald Trump took the stage at Union Station in the capital city, criticized the economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration, vowed to reinvigorate the economy in a second Trump administration, and spoke to the unique character of North Carolina.
Statewide and congressional Republican candidates were also in attendance, some taking the podium prior to Vance to deliver their own campaign pitches to the friendly crowd.
Nominee for lieutenant governor, Hal Weatherman, took the podium and spoke of the risks farmers in North Carolina face from foreign adversaries like China, threats to critical infrastructure, and concerns about public safety.
“”Whoever controls our food, controls us,” said Weatherman of threats to agricultural supply chains, noting the industry’s importance to the Tar Heel State.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, was not in attendance. Originally scheduled to speak, Robinson reportedly canceled due to a positive COVID diagnosis.
Taking the stage at 3:00pm in front of a crowd of around 1,000, Vance leveled criticism at Harris for policy flip-flops and focused his remarks on economic policy, immigration and the border, as well as public safety.
“Every time that Kamala Harris has made a decision that raises the cost of American Energy, she has made basic middle-class life less affordable for countless lives and people all across our country,” Vance said of his opponent. “We want our young families to be able to afford the American Dream.”
He spoke of his own experience growing up in poverty, noting price increases in housing, cars, and groceries over the Biden administration and empathized with American families struggling to make ends meet.
“There are way too many American families struggling,” acknowledged Vance. “And I want to say to anybody who’s here today; anybody who’s watching on TV: My friends, I understand that pain very personally because I myself grew up in a family where we very often lived paycheck to paycheck. A lot of times much worse than that.”
In comments about immigration and border security, Vance reiterated the Trump campaign stance on deporting criminal illegal aliens and criticized Harris for her actions in waiving penalties for illegal immigrants.
Asked by Carolina Journal what sticks out about North Carolina as he campaigns across the country, the senator from Ohio noted the First in Flight state’s passionate people, substantial growth, and smart policies.
“This is a state on the move, this is a state with ambitious people,” said Vance. “I think North Carolina has shown that, if you have common sense economic policies; and you’ve got common sense energy policies; you can build an economy that is rapid growing and really, really exciting for all the residents here. But we’re not going to do that if we’ve got broken federal policies in Washington, DC.”
Before taking questions from reporters from the stage, Vance concluded his remarks by encouraging supporters to spread the message within their own networks, because, he said, they’re fighting an uphill battle against media and embedded interests only voters can overcome.
“We are never going to have the media behind us,” Vance said. “We’re never going to have with Big Tech, oligarchs behind us; but what we do have in this country is, we’ve got the truth behind us, and we’ve got the power of people behind us.”
The latest Carolina Journal poll shows Trump and Harris effectively tied, 45.6% to 45.3% respectively.
Trump is expected to rally in Wilmington this Saturday.