Biden Will Visit Charlotte Wednesday, Trump Thursday As Campaign Hits NC

Sep. 21--Five weeks before Election Day, Charlotte will be the center of the presidential race this week, with Democrat Joe Biden visiting on Wednesday and President Donald Trump on Thursday.

It will be Biden's first trip to North Carolina since the primary.

For Trump, it will be his fifth visit to the state in the past month. He held rallies in Winston-Salem and Fayetteville and headlined an event in Wilmington. On Aug. 24 he addressed Republican convention delegates at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Trump is coming "to discuss his administration's action and vision in delivering quality healthcare at low costs for the American people," according to a White House official. The official wouldn't say if Trump will promote a legislative health care plan, which the president has been promising for years.

No details were available about either visit, including where they'll be or whether the public is invited.

The visits underscore the importance of North Carolina to each candidate. Polls have consistently shown the two virtually tied in the state, widely considered a key battleground.

The two have spent more on TV ads in North Carolina than in any state but Florida, according to Advertising Analytics.

The visits also come days after Friday's death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg injected a dramatic new issue into the race.

Trump has said he could nominate a replacement for Ginsburg by week's end and said he'd like the person confirmed by the Senate before the Nov. 3 election. In Fayetteville Saturday, he promised to pick a woman.

Biden has said the election winner should have the right to nominate a new justice.

Obamacare at stake?

The next justice could help decide the fates of major issues including abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act, a law passed in 2010 under President Barack Obama. It now faces another challenge at the Supreme Court, with arguments scheduled in November after the election.

If the ACA, commonly known as Obamacare, is struck down, insurance companies would not have to offer insurance to people with preexisting conditions or allow customers under the age of 26 to remain on their parents' insurance -- both popular provisions of the law.

North Carolina is among 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the law.

Trump has been saying for years that he was working on a health care plan of his own, dating back to the 2016 campaign. In a July Fox News interview, Trump said he'd be signing "a full and complete health care plan" within two weeks. He said during an ABC News town hall last week that his proposal was finished.

"I have it all ready," he said during the televised event.

Democrats say health care will be their focus this election. The issue was credited with helping them to a House majority in 2016.

"This entire election is about health care," Democratic strategist Morgan Jackson of Raleigh said Monday. "This election will be determined by the issues in and around health care."

NC a battleground

Biden has stepped up public appearances, making stops in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Though he did an interview this month with a Triangle TV station, no leading Democrat has made an actual appearance in the state.

"Unlike Donald Trump," U.S. Rep. Alma Adams said in a statement Monday, "Joe Biden listened to health experts before making the decision to come to the Tar Heel state, and I know he is going to campaign safely once he gets here."

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, and his wife Jill have both done virtual events in North Carolina. Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, took part in a virtual event over the weekend.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a disabled veteran, will join two N.C. lawmakers Monday at a virtual event touting Biden's efforts for veterans and their families as well as active duty members of the military.

Thursday's visit will be the 14th time Trump has visited the state as president.

Trump won North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes in his 2016 Electoral College victory. He likely needs the state in order to win reelection this year. More than 124,000 absentee by mail ballots have been cast in North Carolina already for the 2020 election.

"North Carolina is a priority for President Donald Trump which is why he's been here four times in the last month, while it has been over 200 days since Joe Biden even bothered to visit the most important state this election cycle," state GOP spokesman Tim Wigginton said in a statement.

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