President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will take the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday night, as each plan to lay out their platforms in a pitch to voters.
"What happens with this debate has a real ability to shape the course of the election going forward and who wins," said Dr. Steven Greene, a Political Science Professor at NC State.
Heading into the debate, 538 analyzes the race as a toss-up .
"People are talking about immigration. They're talking about the economy. They're talking about crime. They're talking about abortion," said Greene.
Trump carried North Carolina in both 2016 and 2020, though Biden cut into his margin of victory in the most recent election. North Carolina was Trump's closest victory in the cycle, and is viewed as the most likely pick-up opportunity for Biden.
"It's clear that President Biden wakes up every morning thinking about the American people, thinking about how he can deliver for them, thinking about how he can help them achieve the American dream. When Donald Trump wakes up thinking about himself, thinking about revenge, not thinking about the American people," said Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Democrat who represents Durham and Chatham counties and is serving as the Biden Campaign Political and Coalitions Director.
"This is a unique election because you've got two people who've been president. So we're not talking about hopes and aspirations, we're talking about two records. When you put the two records side by side, I hope President Trump will ask the American people tonight 'were you better off in February 2020 or are you better off today?' Because the answer is resoundingly, we were much better off," said Congressman Richard Hudson, a Republican who represents the state's 9th District and serves as Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Both candidates will be focusing on their economic performances during his term, with the Biden campaign highlighting record-low Black unemployment, wage growth, and efforts to drive down healthcare costs .
"President Biden and Vice President Harris have invested millions directly into small businesses in North Carolina, especially those operated by women, veterans, minorities," said Durham Mayor Leo Williams, during a press call organized by the Biden campaign this week.
"(The Biden-Harris administration's) policies have led to over 15 million new jobs and 18 million new business applications around the country," said Sen. Rachel Hunt, who represents Mecklenburg County and is the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Hunt was part of the same press call as Williams.
However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports consumer prices have increased by more than 20% since Biden took office.
"It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, a Democrat, an unaffiliated (voter). The inflation numbers, the cost of goods under Joe Biden is crushing American families," said Michele Woodhouse, a former Republican Congressional candidate who serves as Chair of the NCGOP's 11th Congressional District.
"We mostly hear about the economy. We hear about how it's just so tough for them to make ends meet. What can Trump do to help that and we kind of point to what he did before to help Americans," said Sandy Joiner, President of Western Wake Republican Club.
Joiner was joined by a group of volunteers in Cary Thursday morning to engage with voters.
"We're out here canvasing and I'm going to strong Republican houses looking for volunteers and letting everybody know about the upcoming elections," said Joiner.
She said membership has grown significantly over the past year.
"We have a lot of young people that are joining in," added member Toni Mascherin.
According to Pew Research Center , Biden won Gen Z and Millennial voters by about 20% in 2020.
Democrats meanwhile are focusing on shoring up large pockets of support in urban areas and improving on their performances in rural counties, a point of emphasis under North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton.
"We will have an office in Elizabeth City. The Rocky Mount office is open. We're already in Johnston County, so we are not taking any of those voters for granted. We know that in all 100 counties, we have voters that are simply just waiting for us to show up," said Sen. Murdock.
Republicans have closed the voter registration gap, though Democrats still have an approximately 140,000 voter advantage. Unaffiliated voters make up the state's largest voting bloc, with more than 400,000 voters than Democrats.
"I think it's making the pitch to the undecided," said Greene regarding both Biden and Trump's strategy at the debate.
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