Across the political spectrum, the consensus was clear that Vice President Kamala Harris won last week’s presidential debate by a knockout over her opponent, who failed to provide coherent answers to either the moderators’ questions or Harris’s challenges.
Pete Maysmith, League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund (LCVVF) Senior Vice President of Campaigns, said “It’s simple, Kamala Harris is the future, Trump is the past. [The September 10 debate] showcased the stakes of this election. Vice President Harris shared her vision of the future that builds upon her work with the Biden-Harris administration to tackle the climate crisis head on. Meanwhile, Trump had nothing to say about how he would fight the climate crisis and instead continued to spread lies and misinformation, while advocating for more fossil fuel production, the removal of tax credits for hardworking families, and fewer environmental protections. Trump’s answers were muddled and rambling, but what is clear is Trump consistently puts himself and billionaires first, while Harris focuses on putting working Americans before the wealthy. Trump has spent months cozying up to Big Oil billionaires who are only looking to increase their profit instead of listening to what the people of this country want, which is a clean energy economy that lowers costs, creates high paying, family sustaining jobs, and protects the health and safety of our families and communities.”
The substantive differences between Harris and Trump on climate change and the environment are just as clear. For a review of these differences in detail, see this LCVVF memo.
Harris Visits NC
Adding to the excitement of the debate for North Carolina residents, Vice President Harris’s first two campaign stops after leaving the debate venue of Philadelphia were in North Carolina the next day (September 11). Supporters filled both arenas selected for the events, first in Charlotte that afternoon and then in Greensboro in the evening.
In the larger venue, the Greensboro Coliseum, Harris was greeted by 20,000 enthusiastic supporters, whose cheers were often “so loud that the roars competed with the building’s sound system.”
Among the key speakers introducing Harris was NC Attorney General Josh Stein, the NCLCV-endorsed candidate for NC Governor.
State of the Race
The Harris campaign’s attention to North Carolina should come as no surprise, given the conclusion by both presidential tickets as well as independent analysts that North Carolina is “in play” and a key to the election’s outcome. A WRAL/SurveyUSA poll released the day before the debate showed Harris leading Trump by 3%, just within the poll’s margin of error.
Analyses of the contest in North Carolina predict a squeaking-close election, with the campaign effort between now and November 5 likely providing critical votes in a narrow margin of victory.
