President Biden is set to travel to North Carolina on Tuesday to argue that he has delivered for the South on issues from jobs, lowering costs, and reproductive rights.
The president’s campaign has focused on North Carolina as a battleground state former President Trump won in 2020 that the incumbent is eyeing to flip in 2024. Biden plans to communicate how Trump failed the South during his presidency, according to a memo from campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
“Our campaign will engage voters across these states, from urban centers to the suburbs and rural areas, where there are more Democratic voters than any other region in the country,” Chavez Rodriguez said. “President Biden and Vice President Harris have delivered for the South after four years of failure under Trump, and our campaign will continue to highlight the stark contrast between their agenda and the MAGA extremism taking hold of the GOP in these states under Trump.”
He will be in Raleigh to deliver remarks and participate in a campaign reception alongside Vice President Harris.
Chavez Rodriguez said North Carolina and Georgia are Southern battleground states critical for the pathways to 270 in November. The trip Tuesday is the last of Biden’s March visits to every battleground state following his State of the Union address; a visit to Georgia kicked off that tour.
“In 2020, Georgia was the closest state in the country won by President Biden, and North Carolina was the closest state in the country won by Donald Trump, making them both extremely competitive states where early investment makes a difference,” she said.
Trump barely beat Biden in North Carolina, taking the Tar Heel State by less than 1 point. An aggregation of polls shows that Trump has a 6.2-point lead over Biden in the state. North Carolina hasn’t gone to a Democrat since 2008.
Chavez Rodriguez, in the memo, also argued that Republicans in states such as North Carolina and Georgia are too extreme. She said “MAGA Republicans” want to limit voting rights in both North Carolina and Georgia, but that Democrats are fighting back.
The Biden campaign said it is investing in Black and Spanish-language media and working with surrogates on the ground, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Meanwhile, Chavez Rodriguez noted, Trump allies on the ground include gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) in North Carolina and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) in Georgia.
North Carolina was targeted in the Biden campaign’s six-week $30 million spring ad buy that kicked off in March. One of the ads from the buy included a local voice, Patrick Brown, a North Carolina farmer who touted Biden’s support for rural communities in the South.