Who is leading the presidential race in North Carolina? Here are the early results.
Former President Donald Trump overtook Vice President Kamala Harris' early lead in North Carolina just after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday as unofficial results trickled in.
More than half the state's voters cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, and Americans are getting their first look at those results after the North Carolina State Board of Elections began releasing its totals online.
Harris maintained a lead over Trump for the first hour after polls in the state closed, but Trump caught and surpassed her as some of the state's more rural counties began reporting their results.
If Harris regains her lead, it would be the first time former Trump lost North Carolina since he began running in 2016.
North Carolina typically elects Republican presidents. But the state is still considered a battleground due to the slim margin in the votes between the two candidates each presidential cycle.
In 2020, Trump won North Carolina against President Joe Biden by just 1.3% while losing the election.
And that made Democrats target the state early this election cycle, diverting time, money and resources to the state in order to flip it blue. Gov. Roy Cooper greeted national figures from the Democratic Party so often during the campaign that people joked he should open a second office at the airport.
Trump took an early polling lead over Biden in North Carolina , despite making few appearances of his own. But after a disastrous debate performance in June, Biden ended his campaign in July and immediately endorsed Harris, his then-running mate, to take over his campaign — and things changed dramatically.
Polls showed Harris and Trump locked in a dead heat in North Carolina.
Trump, who also faced two assassination attempts during the campaign, began making frequent appearances in North Carolina as he had done while winning the state in 2016 and 2020.
On Monday, he held his 50th rally in North Carolina since December 2015.
It was the third of four last-minute rallies, in Greensboro, Gastonia , Kinston and ending in Raleigh Monday.
Trump ended up visiting the state 15 times during this election cycle.
Harris came 21 times, ending her campaign blitz on Saturday in Charlotte.
But her surrogates continued to campaign here. Cooper told volunteers going out to canvas on Monday that he continues to have a "2008 feeling" about the election.
"If you remember then, North Carolina voted for Barack Obama and we made history," Cooper said. "It's time to make history again."
Cooper worked with Harris while both served as attorneys general in their respective states.
Their relationship made Cooper a potential contender to serve as Harris' vice president, a position he quickly turned down, though it's possible that if Harris wins, Cooper may gain a cabinet position.
Trump's surrogates continued campaigning, too.
Sen. Ted Budd, a staunch supporter of the former president, spoke before Trump at a rally in Raleigh Monday.
"Is North Carolina Trump country?" Budd asked, met with cheers from the audience.
Going into Tuesday morning, ABC's 538 showed Trump ahead by just one point in North Carolina.
The candidates' promises
If elected, Trump has made several promises for what he plans to do.
Among those promises, he says he will:
close the border;
use law enforcement and the National Guard to implement mass deportations;
end America's reliance on foreign countries for oil and gas;
end climate and energy policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act;
put an end to offshore wind energy activity
cut federal funding to schools that teach about transgender issues or critical race theory
no longer tax Social Security income
substitute the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
release people charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
punish judges and prosecutors involved in Trump's criminal cases, including firing special prosecutor Jack Smith.
Harris seized on the latter promise, repeatedly telling her supporters that "Trump has an enemies list. I have a to-do list."
If Harris is elected, she promises to:
lower the cost of prescription drugs;
restore federal abortion rights;
create a federal law banning price gouging on food and groceries;
create a "Medicare at Home" program that provides aids to people who need health care at home but couldn't afford it on their own;
cancel some medical debt through the American Rescue Plan and prevent medical debt from being reported to credit services;
nominate a Republican to serve in her Cabinet;
create incentives to start small businesses;
provide down payments to first-time home buyers.
Both candidates promise to:
