- Sarah Palin - Maya Robinson/The Chronicle
Republican vice presidential nominee and conservative darling Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of 5,000 enthused supporters at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh Saturday, the (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.
In what is most likely the last Republican political rally before Election Day, Palin entreated North Carolinian voters to keep the state red.
Although Palin has become the butt of many a late-night joke and single-handedly catapulted Tina Fey to super stardom, she remains a serious force to be reckoned with among the conservative base.
“She is more like the average person that’s in Middle America and the people that I associate with,” said Joan Reynolds, a volunteer at the GOP Victory office in Durham. ”She’s very well founded in her faith and very well-founded in her family. She’s tried to make a difference by working in the government but she’s hasn’t lost sight of where her real mission is and that is to be a mother and a wife and I just think she does a great job of balancing it all.”
Reynolds, a mother of three, flew down from Alabama two weeks ago to volunteer in North Carolina.
Despite the flak Palin’s selection as veep has received from many as evidence of John McCain’s erratic judgment, it is her populism and ability to connect with everyday people on a personal level that appears to be the key to her success.
We’ll just have to wait and see whether there are enough of such voters to put the self-professed hockey mom next in line for the presidency in t-minus 2 days.
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Obama - Maya Robinson/The Chronicle
Sen. Obama is scheduled to speak at UNC-Charlotte Monday as part of a barnstorming tour the day before the election in which he plans to visit key battleground states. This is his eighth visit to North Carolina–he was here most recently last Wednesday in Raleigh. His speech is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Look out for full Chronicle coverage of the event in Tuesday’s issue.
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Sen. Barack Obama will be back in North Carolina Monday for a rally near Charlotte. This will be Obama’s eighth rally in North Carolina. No word from the campaign yet on the exact location or time of the event. Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain will hold a rally in Tampa, Fl. the same day.
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Long lines - Lawson Kurtz/The Chronicle
The Obama rally in Raleigh today brought out a massive crowd. About 28,000 showed up to see the Democratic candidate speak just six days before the Big Day. But perhaps thousands more who couldn’t get in to the mall stayed loyally to hear Obama’s voice reverberate through speakers placed strategically around the confines.
Throngs of hopeful attendees, bundled in heavy coats and scarves, meshed into several loose lines that wrapped around the mall. Though some gave up early and found choice spots close to speakers, many stood patiently in line until officials deemed no more bodies could be squeezed in.
“We gave up. We didn’t get downtown until about 10:30 [a.m.]…. We walked to where the line was still about four more blocks long, and that’s when we turned around, and I said, ‘Well, at least we can get closer and listen,” said Rebecca Lopez from Raleigh, who brought her six-year-old daughter to the rally.
Announced only a couple days prior, the event today drew many Triangle residents on a spur-of-the-moment decision. Kolt Lmulm, who did not vote for Obama in early voting, said he heard about the rally Wednesday morning and came from his work downtown to check out the event. Several others also told The Chronicle they came with a group of co-workers from their offices down the street (the rally was held at the Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh). And students at Broughton High School in Raleigh said they were excused to attend the rally, many hearing about it only this morning.
Check out this photo slideshow by Lawson Kurtz for pictures of Obama at the podium and, of course, the crowd.
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With one week left before election day, North Carolina has clearly solidified its status as a bona fide swing state. The two major presidential candidates are planning trips to the Tar Heel State. Republican Sen. John McCain will attend a rally in Fayetteville today and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama plans to speak in Raleigh Wednesday. To top things off, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr will speak in 139 Social Sciences Building at 5 p.m. today. Check back with The Chronicle’s Election 2008 Blog for updates all this week.
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