By james art 
On the eve of what is shaping up to be a close and historic presidential election, regardless of the outcome, First Lady Jill Biden told a small but energetic and vocal crowd in Durham that “this is it” and urged supporters who have yet to vote , mark Tuesday’s ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“There is one more day until we elect a new generation of leaders in Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz,” Biden said to applause.
Biden said voters should remember why they “fired” Trump in 2020.
“Four years ago in [former President] There was chaos and division in Donald Trump’s America,” Biden said. “He shut down our economy, a pandemic was raging and we were locked inside with masks, washing our groceries, schools were closed.”
After months of campaigning, Biden said he knows supporters are tired.
“But I need you to find the strength to keep going because I want you to remember 2016, the morning after the election, when we woke up and found that we failed,” Biden said. “Let that feeling sustain you, cheer you up, sustain you.”
Democrats can’t go out again, she warned the packed room of supporters.
“We have to work harder than we’ve ever worked,” Biden said. “We must face this moment as if our democracy is at stake and as if our freedoms are at stake.”
Acknowledging that most of the people attending the intimate gathering at Democratic Party headquarters in Durham had likely already voted, Biden told them it was important to remind those who didn’t vote what was at stake on Tuesday.
“Today, when you’re out there, let’s remind people that character and temperament matter,” Biden said.
Biden called Harris a “calm, decisive, strong leader” who has the determination and skill to bring about change. Harris, she said, is “the leader America deserves.”
She urged supporters to also remind people that Harris has spent her career fighting on behalf of the people.
“That other one [Donald Trump]he only cares about himself,” Biden said.
Biden’s visit to North Carolina, a key battleground state in the tight race, followed visits by Harris and Trump. The two spent part of the weekend in the state rallying supporters as the grueling presidential campaign draws to a close. Trump ended his visit today [Monday] with a campaign event at the JS Dorton Arena in Raleigh.
In North Carolina, Saturday was the last day of early voting. More than 4 million voters have already cast ballots in a race that many observers say is a toss-up.
Meanwhile, Biden touted Harris’ economic plan, saying she would work to lower the cost of housing, food and prescription drugs. Harris, she said, would build the economy from the “middle out and the bottom up,” not the “top down.”
Harris made affordable housing a key part of his presidential campaign, pledging to build three million new affordable homes during his first term. She also promised to create a $25,000 down payment assistance program for first-time home buyers. First-time homebuyers who have paid rent on time for two years will be eligible for down payment assistance.
Biden said Harris would also protect Social Security and Medicare and protect “our liberties.”
“Like women’s right to make their own health care decisions,” Biden said. “No one should have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not tell women what to do.”
Jocelyn S. Frye, president of the Washington-based National Partnership for Women and Families, said the Harris administration will focus on issues important to caregivers and women.
Maternal health, reproductive rights and access to abortion are on the ballot, Frye said.
“She [Harris] has said clearly and unequivocally that she will sign any legislation that comes across her desk to restore access to abortion,” Frye said.
Issues such as housing, fair pay, equal pay for women, union membership and others are also on the ballot, Frye said. Harris will take office armed with solutions to those problems, she said.
“These things are critical and these elections are critical,” Frye said.
North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Alison Riggs also visited Democratic headquarters in Durham on Monday to thank supporters for their campaign efforts. Riggs, who is running for the office she was appointed to in 2023, was unaware that Biden was visiting Durham.
“Voting in Durham will affect my election and many others around the state, so I just want to thank the people for working so hard and leaving it all on the field,” Riggs said.