By Christine Zhu

NC Newsline

In the month since President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have made a combined four campaign stops to North Carolina.

Both candidates have focused their visits on the seven battleground states that are crucial for the path to the White House: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Of those seven states, North Carolina was the only one Trump won in 2020 — and he did so by a narrow margin of 1.3 percent.

Since Biden’s withdrawal on July 21, Trump has stumped in Charlotte on July 24, Asheville on Aug. 14, and Asheboro on Aug. 21.

It’s a sign that the Republican Party is more concerned about winning North Carolina with Biden out of the race. Trump had visited the Tar Heel State only twice earlier this year, in March and May — an April rally in Wilmington was canceled because of weather.

The Trump campaign did not directly address a request for comment on the increased focus in North Carolina.

Harris has made just one trip to North Carolina since officially entering the race, an invite-only event in Raleigh on Aug. 16 where she unveiled her economic agenda. But it marked her eighth visit to the state this year, including two that took place in the weeks preceding Biden’s withdrawal — in Greensboro on July 11 and Fayetteville on July 18.

A scheduled Aug. 8 event in Raleigh that was to include with running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as part of a swing state tour was canceled because of Tropical Storm Debby, as were stops in Raleigh and Oakboro for Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance.

Recent polls show a surge toward Democratic candidates with Harris leading or tied in swing states and Attorney General Josh Stein up by 14 percentage points over Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the North Carolina gubernatorial race. Experts say the surge for Harris has put some states that had been thought to be out of reach for Democrats back into play.

Last week, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted a strong turnout in November from voters who he said would be motivated to prevent “extreme” right-wing candidates from winning office.

“I think there’s going to be a rising up that will end up helping Vice President Harris in this race, from some people who may not have gone to the polls even in a presidential year,” because these races are so important,” he said at a Q&A event at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

He specifically referred to Robinson, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, and Michele Morrow, the Republican nominees for governor, attorney general, and superintendent, respectively.

Dory MacMillan, North Carolina communications director for the Harris-Walz campaign, said Trump is “scrambling” in the Tar Heel State.

“While Trump barely has any organization and shares a ballot with MAGA extremists like Mark Robinson, we have built a campaign to win close races,” MacMillan said.

The Harris-Walz ticket recently unveiled digital billboards in the state following Harris’ remarks at the Democratic National Convention.

As for the other battleground states, candidates at the top of the ticket have made five stops to Arizona, four each to Nevada and Michigan, and three to Georgia since Biden dropped out. Additional events in Georgia by Harris, Walz, and Vance were canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby.

The nominees have made six campaign stops in Wisconsin since Biden’s withdrawal, subsequent to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Pennsylvania, with the most electoral votes out of the swing states at 19, is clearly a top priority for both campaigns. Harris announced Walz as her running mate at a rally in Philadelphia on Aug. 6 before the pair kicked off a tour of the swing states and Vance has campaigned in the commonwealth’s largest city twice since joining the ticket, on Aug. 6 and Aug. 19.

All told, Pennsylvania has received a total of eight campaign visits from the top of the Democratic and Republican tickets since July 21.

Harris and Trump are set to return to the City of Brotherly Love on Sept. 10 for a debate airing on ABC — although the campaigns have reportedly hit an impasse over whether the candidates’ microphones will be muted when it’s not their time to speak.

The upcoming week features more events in swing states. Trump and Vance are appearing separately in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, while the Harris-Walz ticket embarks on a bus tour of southern Georgia.

Christine Zhu covers state politics and government for NC Newsline. She is based in Raleigh.