RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Minnesota governor Tim Walz stopped at the Cook Out on South Wilmington Street shortly after landing in Raleigh.
Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, said it was his first trip to Cook Out. He had a mint chocolate chip milkshake. Gov. Roy Cooper, accompanying Walz, had an M&M milkshake.
“It’s great to be hear with Gov. Cooper and the dynamic nature of North Carolina’s economy,” Walz said. “I have had the chance to work with him for a long time. The state has an inspiring economy for the working middle class. I am excited to bring the campaign here and win.”
Minutes later, Walz and Cooper visited a Harris-Walz campaign office in downtown Raleigh to connect with local supporters and volunteers. Walz brought cookies for staffers from an earlier stop in Savannah, GA and talked on the phone with a supporter. He signed a campaign office chalkboard with the message “Never underestimate public school teachers!” Cooper signed the chalkboard with the message “Go, fight, win!”
“It’s great to be in a room full of people who put North Carolina, so thank you,” Walz said. “We expect to win here.”
Invoking his background as a coach, Walz motivated the North Carolina staffers by telling them, “Let’s get on the phone, knock on doors, and get them ready to vote.”
Walz also spoke to supporters at a private fundraiser at the Marriott Crabtree Valley. He told the crowd of supporters that he was ready to do all he could to get Vice President Kamala Harris elected. He also joked with Cooper about the college football season opener between UNC and Minnesota later that night.
Said Cooper, “[Walz] understands everyday people because this guy is a teacher, veteran, congressman for a swing district who knew how to get things done, and governor of Minnesota.”
Polls show a tight race in North Carolina between the Harris-Walz ticket and the Trump-Vance ticket. A poll from CBS 17/Emerson College/The Hill released the morning of Walz’s visit shows former president Donald Trump leading Harris by one point, 49% to 48%, with 3% of voters undecided.
A Democratic presidential candidate has not won North Carolina since Barack Obama in 2008. Trump won North Carolina by 1.35% in 2020, the smallest margin among the states he carried.
