Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail for the Harris-Walz ticket in Durham‚ North Carolina yesterday (10/17/2024) marking his first appearance alongside Gov Tim Walz. The former president aimed to boost support among rural and Black voters as early voting began in the state.
Clinton‚ who jokingly referred to himself as the “explainer in chief“ tackled economic issues head-on. He said “Its unfair to pretend that we could have been the only country in the world that would have escaped this inflation problem‚ and [Harris is] actually trying to do something about it“ Clinton acknowledged voter concerns about inflation while breaking down its causes and the administrations efforts to address it.
The Democrats strategy involves targeting areas where Republicans have gained ground in recent years. Walz‚ whos been campaigning in rural parts of swing states‚ emphasized his own rural background. At a Pennsylvania soybean farm three days ago‚ he stated “I promise you this Vice President Harris and I‚ when we win this election‚ we will have rural Americans back just like theyve had our back“
I could have sat here for another hour listen to him talk because he reminds me of home
Despite Hurricane Helenes impact last month‚ North Carolina saw high turnout on the first day of early voting. By mid-afternoon‚ with 81 out of 100 counties reporting‚ 209‚644 ballots had been cast - surpassing previous years totals for opening day (except for 2020)
While Clinton was mostly well-received some younger voters expressed skepticism. Rebecca May‚ 27‚ said “I think that they need the younger vote to win this election. I think young people care about things like Monica Lewinsky‚ about the #MeToo movement‚ I think people - young people - dont care for Bill Clinton“
Clintons multi-state tour continues with a get-out-the-vote event planned for Sunday in Nash County‚ North Carolina - a place Biden won by just 120 votes four years ago