How presidential campaigns are targeting unaffiliated, undecided voters in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Three out of four of the top figures leading the Democratic and Republican national tickets are making stops in the Tar Heel State this week.

On Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will speak in Asheville as he runs for vice president. Sen. JD Vance will be in Raleigh on Wednesday as Donald Trump’s running mate. Trump will address voters in Wilmington on Saturday.

Counting the visits happening this week, we will have seen eight so far this month from presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Both parties are making it clear they want to secure North Carolina’s 16 electoral college votes.

“They’re putting the most precious commodity, which is their time, into the Old North State,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.

With fewer than 50 days until the election, our nation’s top candidates are making their presence known, trying to reach unaffiliated and undecided voters in this swing state.

“For Donald Trump, it is difficult, if not impossible, for him to end up in the White House without North Carolina,” said Cooper. “It is critical for both candidates. It is even more so for Donald Trump.”

The latest data from the State Board of Elections shows there are more than 2.8 million unaffiliated voters. That accounts for almost 37 percent of North Carolina’s registered voters.

“Your vote is your voice, and unaffiliated voters making up the largest voting party here in North Carolina have the largest voice share in this election,” said Joselle Torres with Democracy NC.

It’s why non-partisan organizations like Democracy NC are rallying people who normally wouldn’t head to the polls to cast their ballots, specifically the younger generation.

“Over one million Gen Z voters out of four million who are registered to vote across America, over one million of them will be voting for the first time ever in this 2024 general election, and thousands of them are unaffiliated voters,” said Torres. “We want to be able to educate them.”

The candidates are following the same strategy. Vice President Kamala Harris was just in Charlotte and Greensboro last week. Trump will visit the coast at the end of this week. While the people who show up to the rallies are usually voters who already have their minds made up on who they’re supporting, the reach goes far beyond that.

“The rallies themselves, the audience, yeah, that’s important,” said Cooper. “But what’s really important is the amplification of those events, right? So, the press coverage that goes in before, the press coverage that’s after. The kind of people who don’t show up but might be interested to know that that candidate cares about their community, right? They might actually talk to somebody who showed up at that rally.”

Political experts said for some unaffiliated voters, issues like the economy, immigration and health care could motivate them to get out and vote. But often these voters are less interested in policy-based solutions and more interested in how the candidates portray themselves and each other.

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