Deep in Trump territory, Patti wears a ‘pro-life, pro-gun’ cape. She’s not alone
Charlotte, North Carolina: Patti Blanton is walking along the side of a country road after hours in the midday sun cheering along Donald Trump as he rallied the faithful in the crucial state of North Carolina.
She wears a “Trump 2024: The Sequel” cap, a T-shirt bearing the famous image of Trump being helped off the stage after an assassination attempt, and a cape emblazoned with the words: “Pro Life, Pro Gun, Pro US, Pro MAGA.”
Patti Blanton, 60, supports Donald Trump in North Carolina.Credit: Michael Koziol
“For four years [under Trump], we had a great economy. Our borders were closed. I felt safe. We had money, opportunities. And now with Kamala [Harris], we don’t have nothing,” says Blanton, 60.
“We have so many illegals you don’t know whether to go out of your house or not. I don’t mind legal people coming here, but not to come across our borders and take all of our benefits.”
Here in Gaston County, just outside Charlotte, Blanton is typical of the voters who elected Trump in the past two elections, sending him North Carolina’s 16 electoral college votes.
Of the seven key battleground states, it is the only one Trump carried against Joe Biden in 2020. The last time North Carolina supported a Democrat for president was Barack Obama’s first term. But its metropolitan areas are growing fast, with about 400,000 people moving to the state since 2020.
A vehicle parked in a driveway next to Gastonia Municipal Airport in North Carolina, where Donald Trump held a rally at the weekend.Credit: Michael Koziol
If Trump is to return to the White House, he probably must hold his grip on the Tar Heel State. But polls show he and Vice President Kamala Harris have been effectively tied for most of the campaign, with Trump’s lead well within the margin of error.
Both leaders visited North Carolina on Saturday; Trump in the Republican stronghold of Gastonia and Harris in nearby Charlotte, the city of Mecklenburg County, which Democrats hope will deliver them the state. She was joined by a throng of music stars including Jon Bon Jovi and Khalid.
The neighbouring counties couldn’t be more different. Biden carried two-thirds of the vote last year in Mecklenburg, and Trump a similar percentage in Gaston.
As such, the Democrats are putting huge amounts of resources into increasing voter turnout in Mecklenburg/Charlotte, which is a little lower than other counties.
Jon Bon Jovi performs during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Charlotte.Credit: AP
Local Democratic Party chair Drew Kromer told TV station WCNC that he wanted Charlotte to be the Fulton County of 2024. Four years ago, Fulton in Georgia – which takes in most of the city of Atlanta – delivered enough votes for Biden to win the conservative southern state.
“This is the place where we have all the votes needed to flip this state,” Kromer said. “[We] need Mecklenburg to not just be blue, but to be dark blue.”
If Democrats are relying on the cities, the Republicans are counting on rural voters and those in what Americans call ex-urban areas on the city fringes. On the leafy, manicured streets of Gaston County, for example, Donald Trump has well and truly won the front lawn vote – every second or third home is marked with pro-Trump signs wedged in the fertile Piedmont soil.
The messages are simple. “Trump – Secure Border. Kamala – Open Border,” one says. “Trump – Low Taxes. Kamala – High Taxes.”
They’re messages that resonate with mother and daughter Alexis and Iris Houston as they emerge from Trump’s rally at Gastonia Municipal Airport, where he spoke behind large bulletproof glass panels.
Iris (left) and Alexis Houston support Donald Trump in Gastonia, North Carolina.Credit: Michael Koziol
“I really want a safe border. I want a decrease in crime in these cities. I want the prices of my food and gas and everything to go down,” says Iris. “My mum’s on social security, she complains about being taxed all the time. [Trump] says he will reduce taxes or eliminate taxes on social security. I want that for my future as well.”
Luke Pullin, a 19-year-old student from Georgia who attends the nearby Belmont Abbey College, said most of his peers at the Catholic liberal arts school were Trump supporters.
Luke Pullin (right) with his friends and fellow Trump supporters after attending a rally in North Carolina.Credit: Michael Koziol
“I think a lot more people in my generation are getting polarised, either far to the left or far to the right. We’ve just ended up on the right side politically, and we believe, morally,” he said.
Although the US economy is performing well, with low unemployment and strong GDP growth, Pullin said Trump was rightly focused on people’s economic grievances after a prolonged period of high inflation.
“Social issues are important, but most people can’t think about social issues when their wallets are empty, or they’re paying too high mortgages. Americans just want to be able to live manageable lives with manageable spending.”
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