Through Hillary Clinton’s college plan, 122,000 North Carolina students would pay no tuition for a four-year degree at public universities, her campaign announced Tuesday.
Chelsea Clinton, campaigning in Durham Tuesday evening for her mother, said the plan will work for a variety of students—including those who choose to attend community college or trade schools. Helping tuition for community college students be free is another issue Clinton will be pushing for, the announcement said.
“And she actually knows how to pay for those plans,” Clinton said, in a subtle jab at Republican nominee Donald Trump for not being specific on how he will fund his proposals.
Families with incomes under $125,000—more than 89 percent of North Carolina households—would pay no tuition at in-state public colleges and universities in the Democratic nominee’s New College Compact plan.
Her website notes that the plan will cost in the range of $350 billion during the course of 10 years, and that it will be fully paid for by “limiting certain tax expenditures for high-income taxpayers.”
It is built on two promises that Clinton has made to American families—that costs will not be a barrier to attending college and that debt will not hold individuals back from achieving their goals upon completing their education.
Hillary Clinton’s position on education was a focal point of her daughter's brief appearance in Durham, where she celebrated the opening of the first Clinton campaign office in the city.
“Everything I care about is at stake in this election,” Clinton said, urging attendees at the talk at Beyù Caffè not to be complacent and to urge their friends to get involved.
Junior Amy Wang, the president of Duke for Hillary and the vice-president of Duke Democrats, was part of a group of students who attended the event at Beyù Tuesday. She noted that there is a "large base of support" for Clinton on Duke's campus.
"It's really interesting to watch people who might not have otherwise been involved with politics get excited about this campaign," Wang said. "This election is bringing out a whole new side of Duke, in my opinion."
She said she liked Clinton's message Tuesday and appreciated that she centered it on issues in North Carolina.
"She seemed to understand what it's like to live in Durham," Wang said. "And she seemed to understand that we are a very university-oriented town and obviously did address Duke students, and the idea of college affordability."
Clinton's appearance in Durham was part of a three-day tour in North Carolina. She campaigned in Winston-Salem Tuesday and will be in Raleigh and Carrboro, where a new office is opening, Wednesday.
Both the Clinton and Trump campaigns have recently focused their efforts on the state—which has emerged as a key battleground in this election cycle. The most recent survey from Quinnipiac University found Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by four points in North Carolina, but another poll from Suffolk University shows Trump with a three-point lead.
A core group of Clinton’s support in the state is from millennials, who helped President Barack Obama win the state in 2008. In 2012, Mitt Romney won North Carolina, cementing its reputation as a “purple” swing state.
Clinton currently seems to be winning the battle for millennials in the state: a CBS survey conducted August 30-September 2 showed that 57 percent of 18-29 year-olds in the state say they would vote for Clinton if the election were being held today. 19 percent said they would vote for Trump.
Correction: Hillary Clinton campaigned at Wake Forest Tuesday, not Monday. The Chronicle regrets the error.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.