RALEIGH, N.C. – Donald Trump He will rally supporters in North Carolina every day leading up to Tuesday’s election in the only swing state he won in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

Even as Trump tries to expand his electoral map and project power Trips to New Mexico and VirginiaTwo Democratic states not widely viewed as competitive, Trump is devoting considerable time to North Carolina, where he last backed a Democrat’s presidential bid in 2008.

The former president’s path to the 270 delegate votes needed to capture the presidency will become much more complicated if he loses North Carolina. The fast-growing Southern state gave Trump his smallest margin of victory — 1.3 percentage points — over Democrat Joe Biden four years ago.

Trump campaigned in Gastonia, west of Charlotte, on Saturday and was scheduled to be in Greensboro later in the day, with a stop in Salem, Virginia, in between. It will be in the eastern city of Kinston on Sunday and Raleigh on Monday. These four rallies will bring his total events from October 1-9 in North Carolina. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, has been to the state six times during the same period, most recently on Friday.

Vice President Kamala HarrisTrump’s Democratic rival, Trump, will also be in North Carolina on Saturday for a concert and rally in Charlotte. His campaign has not announced any further trips to the state before Election Day.

Extensive damage Hurricane Helene One in Western North Carolina dose of uncertainty It’s about the state of the game here. Flooding destroyed homes and displaced residents in several counties, including the liberal city of Asheville and the conservative rural areas surrounding it.

Trump’s team said they were confident about their chances in North Carolina. Democrats see Trump’s interest in the state as a signal of optimism for Harris.

“Repeated appearances could be a signal that the Trump campaign is in trouble,” said Democratic state Rep. Marcia Morey of Durham. “It could backfire if Trump continues his dangerous and violent rhetoric over the past few days. A campaign of personal revenge does not get votes from people.”

Trump adviser Jason Miller said Trump’s travels at the end of the campaign are not an alarm signal.

“I’m not worried about anything,” Miller told reporters Friday. “We have a smart strategy to get President Trump to 270 states, maybe even a few states that will surprise you. But we will follow our strategy. Our strategy comes from our data and our targeting.”

Trump said in Gastonia, as in most of his events in North Carolina, that his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, whom he appointed as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, is from the state, and that Lara and Eric are also from this state. Trump named his daughters Carolina.

“It’s an amazing place. You’ve been through a lot,” Trump said, repeating the question, referring to the hurricane debunked claim He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is prioritizing people living in the country illegally over hurricane victims. “I can say that your government is not helping you very much. Your government, FEMA, failed you because it wanted to spend the money on illegal immigrants.”

Roughly half of North Carolina’s 7.8 million registered voters had cast ballots as of Friday. early in-person voting, It ends Saturday afternoon.

North Carolina Republicans were encouraged by early voter turnout among their supporters after national and state GOP leaders switched to a “banking your ballot” strategy this year instead of focusing on Election Day turnout.

Entering the final days of the campaign, more than 50,000 more GOP registered voters than Democrats had voted early or absentee, although there were more than 100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans statewide, according to state election data. It’s unclear whether Republicans’ early voting surge will lead to higher overall turnout for Trump supporters.

Independent voters now make up the largest group of registered voters in North Carolina. Trump lost ground to independents between 2016 and 2020.

Harris supporter Gwen Garnett, 66, said Trump’s barnstorming in North Carolina was “just part of the process.” That doesn’t worry me at all.” It added a moral dimension to Harris’ candidacy.

“This is a blessed time for him to be in this role,” Garnett said. “I just believe it was God’s timing.”

The state’s voters have tended to split their tickets over the years. That’s why Republicans have controlled the state legislature since 2011, while Democrats have held the governor’s mansion for all but four years since 1993.

The GOP’s hopes of breaking that barrier on Tuesday appear to have diminished in recent weeks after the party’s gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, received unwanted publicity from a CNN report alleging that a pornography website made explicit racist and sexual comments in his message. He ascended the throne more than a year ago.

Last month, Robinson denied writing the messages and filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN. His campaign nearly collapsed, It raises fears that a landslide victory by Democrat Josh Stein, the state attorney general, could hurt GOP candidates in other races.

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Robertson reported from Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Detroit and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.