In NC, presidential campaign is battle of mega-rallies vs. virtual events

President Donald Trump makes his fourth visit to North Carolina in less than a month on Saturday, when he plans to hold a rally at Fayetteville Regional Airport. Meanwhile, Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, has yet to visit the battleground state, opting instead for virtual events, such as one Friday featuring U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate.

Posted 11:26 p.m. Sep 18, 2020 — Updated 7:15 p.m. Sep 21, 2020

Joe Fisher

, WRAL multimedia journalist

RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump makes his fourth visit to North Carolina in less than a month on Saturday, when he plans to hold a rally at Fayetteville Regional Airport.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, has yet to visit the battleground state, opting instead for virtual events, such as one Friday featuring U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate, to register voters on National Black Voter Day.

A WRAL News Poll released this week shows the presidential race in North Carolina is tied at 47 percent, with just 5 percent of voters undecided.

"At this stage of the game, you want to make sure you can mobilize people to do things and get out of the house and vote," Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "So, these types of events are important to get people excited.”

Meredith College political science professor David McLennan noted that virtual campaign events lack the same ability to energize voters.

"They’re smaller. They are not visible to the average voter who’s not on the Biden train, so to speak. The local media doesn’t cover it to the same degree," McLennan said. "[Trump] gets the amplification of [the fact] he’s there, what he says, what he talks about, what kind of crowd he’s drawing."

Trump’s visits also provide exposure for down-ballot Republican candidates, such as U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who trails Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham 47 to 40 percent in the WRAL News poll, McLennan said.

“The fact that the president is here talking about the Republican Party, talking about keeping Republicans in charge in the Senate and the White House is part of that [impact]," he said.

Trump's rally in Winston-Salem last week had thousands of people packed into stands, with a majority forgoing masks that state officials require to be worn in public. Still, only 37 percent of those surveyed in the WRAL News poll said that would have a major impact on their vote in the upcoming election. Thirty-nine percent said it would have no impact at all.

Biden's campaign announced that the candidate will make his first in-person visit to North Carolina on Sept. 23 in Charlotte. Details weren't provided.

McLennan said he expects Biden to hold more in-person events, like a town hall in Pennsylvania on Thursday, and he said a stop in North Carolina is essential for the Democrat.

"The Biden campaign is more cautious," he said. "[But] it’s too important. It’s hard to imagine him skipping North Carolina entirely.”

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