Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visits Wilmington as Trump and Harris battle over North Carolina

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visited Wilmington for a campaign stop on Wednesday.  

Emhoff’s visit comes on the heels of a rally held by Former President Donald Trump on Saturday.   

Speaking at Casa Blanca Coffee on Market Street, the second gentleman touted his wife Kamala Harris’ plan for what she calls an “opportunity economy.” 

The plan includes tax cuts for those making under $400,000 a year, an expanded child tax credit—including $6,000 for first-year parents—and a $25,00 credit for first time homebuyers.  

“The first pillar of Kamala’s economic plan is lowering costs to help families meet the challenges that they’re facing each and everyday,” Emhoff said. “She’s going to take on price gouging on groceries and lower prescription drug costs.”  

During his speech, Emhoff also criticized Trump’s economic record.  

“There is this myth–it’s a myth–that Trump was a good businessman in his former life,” Emhoff noted. “He was the first president since Herbert Hoover, that goes back to the depression era, to leave office with fewer jobs than when he started, and his tax cuts to billionaires cost us.”  

Mayor Bill Saffo was among those speaking at the event, and we asked him why he thinks Wilmington has been put on the presidential map this election cycle.  

“You know North Carolina is in play, it’s a very close state in regards to the polling, and this is going to be a critical battleground state,” Saffo said. 

Nadine Gibson teaches political science at UNC Wilmington.   

She noted part of the reason Wilmington has seen so much attention this year is because of an extremely tight presidential race state-wide. ABC News’ 538 polling average shows Harris trailing Trump by less than a point this week, with some polls showing her leading or tied with the former president.  

“Wilmington is actually a bellwether region,” Gibson explained. “We go both ways in terms of major political parties. I think that everyone in the Wilmington area can agree that campaigns are very intense here, that’s because both sides are fairly evenly matched.”  

Mayor Saffo agrees.  

“Usually the way Wilmington or New Hanover County goes usually is the way the presidential election will go,” Saffo said. 

After visiting Wilmington, the second gentleman also made a stop in Charlottesville, VA on Wednesday.