RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — After a flurry of campaigning by both presidential candidates just ahead of Tuesday’s in-person voting, Republican former President Donald Trump appears to have won North Carolina with 50.8% of the vote, according to incomplete and unofficial results from the Associated Press.
The Trump victory to claim North Carolina’s 16 Electoral votes makes it the third time he’s carried the state in White House races after winning in 2016 and 2020.
The last few days of the contentious race, in which a record number of residents voted early, saw both candidates and their surrogates covering North Carolina with visits, including Trump with four state stops since Saturday.
A sign of the North Carolina barnstorming by candidates was a unique pairing of Trump’s private jet parked beside Harris’ plane at the Charlotte airport Saturday as Trump was in nearby Gastonia and the vice-president was in Charlotte.
Since Oct. 1 Trump had nine total events in North Carolina. Harris was in the Tar Heel state for five stops over the same period.
Polling numbers in North Carolina appeared steady as Election Day approached with the candidates separated by just a point dating back to polls in the state the summer.
In August, Trump held the 1% lead. In September, the state flipped to give Harris a 1% lead. In a poll released by CBS 17/Emerson College/The Hill on October 10, Trump had reclaimed the minuscule lead. Then, in new polling released Monday, the same 1% lead was claimed by Trump in North Carolina, well within the too close to call margin of +/- 3.3%.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Trump’s team has said it was confident about his chances in North Carolina. But Democrats saw Trump’s attention on the state as a signal of optimism for Harris.
“The repeat appearances may signal Trump’s campaign is in trouble,” said Democratic state Rep. Marcia Morey of Durham. “If Trump continues with his dangerous, violent rhetoric these last few days, it may backfire. A campaign of personal retribution does not win votes from people.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this report
