Former President Bill Clinton and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hosted a rally in Durham Thursday to support the Harris campaign on the first day of early voting in North Carolina.
The politicians focused their remarks around contrasting the two major presidential campaigns, characterizing a prospective Trump-Vance administration as dangerous for democracy, while identifying the Harris-Walz ticket as the campaign of “freedom.”
“There is one political party now that is pro-democracy, and that’s us,” Walz said.
The event kicked off an “Early Vote bus tour” headlined by Clinton that will make stops in cities across eastern North Carolina this weekend. It marks Walz’s third visit to the state since being named Harris’ running mate.
Clinton and Walz took to the stage just after 4 p.m to the tune of John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” at the Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park.
In his opening remarks, Walz expressed feeling “a little bit giddy” at being onstage with “comeback kid” Clinton, “who knows a little bit something about being an underdog and being underestimated a bit” — a reference to Harris’ fledgling campaign, which began less than three months ago after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.
Walz then moved to acknowledge the devastation faced by communities in western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“The Biden-Harris administration [is] doing everything they possibly can to get relief …” Walz said. “... This is what it looks like to be unified.”
He denounced efforts by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for spreading misinformation about people living in the U.S. legally, from Springfield, Ohio, and Colorado, even after Republican officials urged them to stop.
“Let’s be honest, there are outsiders coming into communities, stealing and moving jobs away and making life harder for people living there, and they have names: Donald Trump and JD Vance,” Walz said.
He then pivoted to promoting the Democratic ticket’s economic platform. Walz accused airlines of price gouging in the days around when Hurricane Helene made landfall, raising prices in response to increased demand. He also promoted Harris’ promise to build an opportunity economy, which prioritizes policies that support the middle class and includes a proposal to institute a federal ban on the practice.
Walz further claimed that under a Harris administration, “100 million Americans … will see a tax cut,” after the administration restores two cuts designed to help the middle class — the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit — by allowing Americans to maintain more of their income.
He disparaged Trump’s economic platform, which has been one of the Republican nominee’s strongest selling points among supporters.
“I have met no one in my life that has less business acumen than Donald Trump,” Walz said. “… He doesn’t know business, and he damn sure doesn’t know the middle class.”
He also touched on a range of other policy issues in his address, including housing, health care, policing, gun rights and reproductive freedom.
Walz moved to discuss his Oct. 10 debate with Vance, where the senator evaded questions about whether Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Walz shared that “yesterday … [Vance] said Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election.”
He closed by promoting the Democratic National Committee’s voter information website, where North Carolina voters can check their registration status, track their ballot and access general voting information.
Clinton then took to the podium, praising Walz’s record as governor of Minnesota — and role as coach of his high school’s football team.
He then moved into a more serious discussion of the danger a second Trump term could pose for the nation.
“We should realize that more than ever before in my lifetime, the fundamental protections of the Constitution — majority rule, minority rights, individual rights, the rule of law … — those things are in great danger,” Clinton said.
He compared the presidential election to a “job interview for the most important job in the world,” but asserted that voters should deem Trump unfit for the position.
“Being president is a sacred duty. The sheer joy I had every day — I’ll never be able to repay all of you for it,” Clinton said. “Even [on] the terrible days when they were trying to tear my head off, there was always something good you could do for someone.”
He accused Trump of instead leveraging the presidency to address “personal grievances” and espouse “conspiracy theories.”
“It’s always about him,” Clinton said, referring to Trump. “One of the reasons [why] I want Kamala Harris is [because] it will be about you.”
His statements were met with cheers from the crowd of over a hundred supporters packed into the venue’s gymnasium, some sporting camouflage caps with “Harris Walz” in orange letters and union members wearing blue “Teamsters for Harris” t-shirts.
Clinton shared that he did not plan to “be involved with” future elections, joking that he was “too old to gild the lily” and “only too much younger than Donald Trump.” However, he explained to the event’s attendees that he felt a responsibility to show up to stump for Harris.
“I’ve been doing this a long, long time, and I can honestly say that this time, I am not here running for anything anymore except for my grandchildrens’ future,” Clinton said.
He encouraged attendees to vote early and “spend the rest of the time all the way up to the Election Day taking other people to the polls.”
Clinton and Walz were introduced by a number of Democratic politicians at the state and local level.
Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton promoted the Harris-Walz campaign’s platform on critical issues like the economy, housing and reproductive rights and emphasized Durham’s role in securing the state’s 16 electoral votes for the Democratic ticket.
“We know that if this state is going to be won, Durham is going to have a large part to do with it,” Middleton said. “… Let’s lead the country, Durham.”
N.C. Sen. Natalie Murdock, who also serves as political and coalition director for the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign, detailed the state’s early voting policies.
The Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center began operating as an on-campus polling site Thursday and will remain open through Nov. 2 — the end of the early voting period. Same-day registration is available during early voting.
Murdock reminded attendees about North Carolina’s new photo ID requirement, which was implemented last year after a 2018 law that had previously been struck down by the N.C. Supreme Court was reinstated. Duke students can use their physical DukeCard as an acceptable form of photo ID.
Murdock also promoted the N.C. Democratic Party’s voter assistance hotline, which features hundreds of operators on standby to answer questions about voter registration, early and absentee voting procedures and polling locations. North Carolinians can access the service by calling 1-833-VOTE4NC.
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Zoe Kolenovsky is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby Spiller is a Trinity junior and editor-in-chief of The Chronicle's 120th volume.