Democratic VP Nominee Tim Kaine rallies in Wilmington for final push

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — No votes will be cast in North Carolina today, but there will be plenty of appeals to voters. That includes one from the Democratic nominee for vice president here in Wilmington.

Tim Kaine was back in town this afternoon for a rally at the Brooklyn Arts Center at 516 N 4th Street. Kaine has an event in Charlotte this morning.

“Tomorrow, North Carolinians will head to the polls and show that they remained unpersuaded by Tim Kaine and his fellow Democrats’ final efforts to convince them that Hillary Clinton can be trusted to lead the nation,” Republican National Committee North Carolina Communications Director Kara Carter said in a statement. “No matter how many miles Tim Kaine racks up, he can’t escape his running mate’s reckless decisions that have simply made it impossible for millions of voters to support her.”

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine took the stage in downtown Wilmington hand in hand with his wife and gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper.

“North Carolina you guys are a check mate state,” Kaine said. “If Hillary wins North Carolina, it is over.”

Kaine said he knows how important our voters are in this race.

“We are really going after it and the early voting trends make us feel good, but we’re not taking anything for granted,” Kaine said. “That’s why I’m here today.”

Kaine spoke to an eager crowd about healthcare, climate change, veterans and a big issue for North Carolina, education.

“We want to expand early childhood education, celebrate great, make college more affordable,” Kaine said.

The crowd applauded all of his talking points.

“I was very impressed,” a supporter said. “He is a lot more dynamic speaker than I thought. He made some very good points about values.”

After the rally, in a one-on-one interview, Kaine also addressed the latest FBI announcement that it would not pursue charges against Hillary Clinton in connection with her emails and how it could affect the polls.

“We always assumed they would reach the same conclusion, but I’m glad they worked on it and promptly informed the public that there is nothing there,” Kaine said.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on North Carolina as that room full supporters hopes to make the difference.

“Even though we are only one state we have the potential to be that deciding factor,” a UNCW student said.

Hillary Clinton has one final event in Raleigh tonight. Then, Tim Kaine will be back in his home state tomorrow in Virginia.

This is Kaine’s second visit to Wilmington during the campaign. He spoke at the Community Arts Center in early September.

Kaine’s trip comes two days after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made his second visit to the Port City.