By james art 
JLO says ‘our pain matters’ at Harris rally as Trump woos Latinos
The presidential candidates courted Hispanic voters in the aftermath of controversial comments from both parties.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are heading to North Carolina on Saturday to try to drum up support in the southeastern battleground state just three days before Tuesday’s Nov. 5 general election.
It will be the fourth straight day that the two presidential candidates visit the same state on the same day, underscoring the critical importance of the seven states that are likely to decide a race that polls say is on a knife’s edge.
More than 70 million people have already voted through in-person early voting and mail-in ballots, according to the University of Florida Election Lab on Saturday.
Saturday also marks the final day of early voting in North Carolina, where more than 3.8 million votes have been cast as western parts of the state are still recovering from Hurricane Helena’s deadly flooding.
Harris is planning appearances with rock star Jon Bon Jovi in Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, which is tied with Georgia for the second-highest prize pool of the swing states. Each has 16 votes in the electoral college, where 270 are needed to secure the presidency.
North Carolina endorsed Trump in 2020 but elected a Democratic governor on the same day, giving hope to both parties.
Trump will hold a rally in Gastonia, west of Charlotte, before returning to the state in the evening, where he is scheduled to speak at the 22,000-seat First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.
Harris will also be in the swing state of Georgia on Saturday, where director Spike Lee and singer Victoria Monae are scheduled to speak at a rally with performances by 2 Chainz, Big Tigger, Monica and Pastor Troy.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, Harris’ running mate, will head southwest on Saturday, starting in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be joined by Eva Longoria. He will later travel to Flagstaff and Tucson, Arizona.
In the final 48 hours of the campaign, the vice president will visit the state of Michigan in East Lansing on Sunday and close the polls in Pennsylvania on Monday with rallies in Allentown, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before returning to Washington, D.C.
Waltz and second-in-command Doug Emhoff will rally in Georgia on Sunday on behalf of the Democratic Party. The governor will later travel to North Carolina for a rally.
Heading into Monday’s final stretch, the Harris campaign plans to hold simultaneous, interconnected organizing events in all seven battleground states to mobilize voters, according to a senior campaign official.
Waltz and his wife, Gwen, will campaign in Wisconsin and Michigan. On Tuesday, they will campaign in Pennsylvania before heading to Washington, DC
On Tuesday, the Harris-Walz campaign will host an election night event at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Harris’ alma mater. The Trump campaign will host an election night watch party at a convention center in West Palm Beach, Fla., but has not announced the former president’s election night plans, according to the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida network.
Contributors: Francesca Chambers, Joey Garrison, David Jackson, Kinsey Crowley, Antonio Finns; USA TODAY Networks and Reuters