After President Joe Biden's historic decision Sunday to withdraw from the presidential race and quickly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, attention has shifted to her campaign.
Her resignation follows weeks of calls for Harris to resign amid concerns about her ability to beat President Donald Trump. Throughout the turmoil, she has been by her side on social media and at rallies.
The vice president visited North Carolina twice in July alone, first in Greensboro, where he called Biden a “warrior,” and then a week later in Fayetteville, where he praised the Biden-Harris Administration for the work it has done for ordinary Americans.
Harris, 59, still needs a total of 1,976 delegates to officially become the nominee but is on track with the full support of North Carolina's Democratic delegates and enough support in several other states to secure the nomination.
She also has the endorsement of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a possible vice presidential candidate.
“Kamala Harris should be our next President,” Cooper posted on X. “I've known @VP since she was Attorney General and I know she has the ability to defeat Donald Trump and lead the country with thought and integrity. I look forward to campaigning for her to win North Carolina across the board.”
Jill Hopman, chairwoman of the New Hanover Democratic Party, said even though it's only been two days since the news broke, there's been a clear shift in people's excitement levels.
“I've heard from everyone across the party — young, old, black, white, male, female — how excited they are about this change,” Hopman said.
Hopman was a delegate at the national convention who voted to support Harris, and she said she saw similar enthusiasm from other delegates.
Moving away from Biden created stronger differentiation among voters, Hopman said.
“I think she brings an undeniable contrast to the shortlist, that it's no longer just two old white guys, but a real choice for America,” Hopman said. “And I think that's what was missing before.”
Nash County Democratic Party Chairwoman Cassandra Conover said the reforms bring much-needed stability.
“We have new energy and motivation because I think what has been lingering with us all this time has been the uncertainty of what President Biden is going to do,” Conover said.
Conover said North Carolina voters are now excited to make history by electing Harris to become the first woman to serve as president this November.
“I think North Carolina is more receptive to her as a candidate than it has been in the past,” Conover said.
Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue of Wake County said in conversations with colleagues that support for Harris exists.
She is “ready for the job,” he said, noting that her several visits to the state dwarf any previous vice president's visits to the state.
Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, said it's hard to say how strong a candidate Harris will be in North Carolina because the news is still new.
An NBC poll, conducted before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and Biden's withdrawal, showed Harris with a 45% approval rating, just below Trump's 47%, and a Bendixen & Amandi poll conducted in early July showed Harris ahead of Biden and in line to beat Trump by 1 percentage point, USA Today reported.
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One of Harris' strengths is her age.
“We have a candidate who is 20 years younger than the opposition running. Age was the biggest factor undermining credibility, but that should be addressed,” Bitzer said.
The excitement for Harris is also being felt on social media, with young voters creating memes and resurfacing old ones to support her and pay tribute to some of the biggest social media trends of the summer.
Sloan Duvall, student president of the Young Democrats at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and president of the students supporting Stein, said the energy of young people is shifting.
“If you look on social media, you will see an outpouring of support and enthusiasm for Vice President Harris to be our next president,” Duvall said.
Duval said the club has seen an uptick in activity, with new membership requests and increased engagement on social media.
“They're not just reposting memes, they want to get involved,” Duvall said. “They're super enthusiastic about Kamala Harris, they want to get involved with the Student Democrats chapter at their university, they want to knock on doors, make phone calls, send text messages.”
A key group in North Carolina are black voters, who are the largest voting bloc in the state outside of white voters, making up about 20% of the electorate. Harris, an African-American and South Asian woman, had higher support among black voters than Biden in polls before her withdrawal, according to the NBC poll.
Her identity could be useful, but a local effort is needed, Bitzer said.
“Two years ago, a Black woman was the top candidate for U.S. Senate in this state, yet Black voter turnout was just 42 percent compared to 51 percent statewide,” Bitzer said.
The current vice president has not yet been formally nominated as a candidate, meaning he has just three months until Election Day to garner voter support.
Blue said everything now needs to move faster.
