From Staff Reports 

Just over a week after the campaign had to cancel a visit after two individuals involved with the campaign tested positive for COVID-19, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris finally arrived in Asheville on Oct. 21.

On the same day, Harris later traveled to Charlotte. Both events were set up to allow Harris to participate in early vote mobilization events.

Her Charlotte visit occurred just hours before President Donald J. Trump held a rally there that evening. Trump is the Republican opponent to her running mate, the Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden

Speaking to a crowd at UNCA Asheville, Harris said the outcome of the election could, “in many ways,” be decided by North Carolina.

“The choices and the decisions you are making will impact people around the country. In that way, what you are doing to vote and vote early is going to impact people that you may never meet,” she told the crowd.

The left-leaning PBS stated of Harris’ two Oct. 21 visits, “North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes are highly sought after in this presidential campaign, and Trump has a far more difficult electoral path if he can’t pull off a win there.”

After Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer spoke on the importance of early voting, along with the importance of transparency and leadership in the White House, Harris was introduced to the audience by UNCA student Sarah Gurbach.

Harris addressed the crowd at UNCA in a 15-minute outdoor speech, “speaking about the importance of voting, the still-languishing HEROES Act, the rushed confirmation process of Amy Coney Barrett and the reproductive rights of women, which Harris believes are in jeopardy,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported.

“Those in attendance were masked and socially distanced.”

Following the event, Harris was driven back to the Asheville Regional Airport, where the campaign was set to travel to Charlotte for another event.

“Harris answered two questions before boarding. Her first was on how Vice President Biden would prepare for the very personal attacks levied by the Trump campaign,” News 13 noted.

She was quoted by News 13 as responding, “Listen, Joe Biden knows that what America needs to hear is, they need to hear a conversation about how we’re going to put food on America’s tables when people are standing in food lines. He knows that people want to hear about how we’re going to help working families get through the end of the month and pay the rent. That’s what people care about, and one of the things I love about Joe Biden — he doesn’t take on or talk about other peoples kids.”

News 13 added, “The second (question) was on whether or not Biden/Harris could win the election without winning North Carolina.”

To that, the TV station quoted Harris as answering, “We need North Carolina and that’s why I’m here, that’s why he’s been here. The people of North Carolina are very much going to be a very big part of deciding this election, so we’re here to encourage the vote,” Harris said. “Vote early. But also we’ve been here to listen to folks because we know the people of North Carolina want the kind of support they deserve from their president.”