{"id":4297,"date":"2020-10-18T22:30:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T22:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=4297"},"modified":"2023-08-17T14:55:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T14:55:29","slug":"biden-visits-durham-pushes-voter-turnout-at-drive-in-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/10\/18\/biden-visits-durham-pushes-voter-turnout-at-drive-in-rally\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden visits Durham, pushes voter turnout at drive-in rally"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Biden campaign passed through Durham on wheels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spinning down Rose of Sharon Road Sunday afternoon, the Democratic presidential candidate\u2019s motorcade glided by expectant Durhamites, many of whom had learned about the Joe Biden-fronted drive-in rally through social media and local news. Unable to enter the actual rally, they had parked bumper-to-bumper and half on the grass outside Riverside High School, hoping to catch a glimpse of the former vice president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping we can hear something, but we definitely at least want to see him go in,\u201d Celeste Sloop said from the road outside of the rally. She awaited Biden\u2019s arrival out of sight from the stage where he would speak. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t particularly know that things are going on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her best view was a sharp left turn up the road, but even with her disappointment, the limitations of the event were evidence for Sloop, who has not voted yet, of how serious a Biden presidency would be about the coronavirus pandemic, which she said would be a motivating issue at the polls this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Biden rolled into Durham, he sought to build the momentum of record-breaking voter turnout in the battleground state, all while guarding against coronavirus. Invited guests, including Reps. G. K. Butterfield (NC-1) and David Price (NC-4), attended the drive-in rally, while an estimated 200 people who could not enter the event listened from the parking lot \u2014 a sharp contrast against Donald Trump\u2019s campaign rallies, which remain in-person and inundated even after his coronavirus diagnosis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The campaign stopped by on the fourth day of early voting in North Carolina, with just over two weeks until Election Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 1.5 million ballots have already been cast early in North Carolina, as of Sunday night \u2014 905,245 in person and 608,381 by mail. In Durham, over 40,000 ballots \u2014 representing 16.6% of the city\u2019s registered voters \u2014 have been cast via in-person early voting .<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of those voters spectated from the overflow parking lot, even without an event for them in particular. There, they stood socially distanced, small neon orange cones marking how far they could go, all wearing masks \u2014 one with \u201cvote\u201d scrawled in black marker over top, another with Durham\u2019s \u201cNo bull, I voted\u201d sticker fixed on and flapping in the breeze.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were voting against what we see as far as the police and the division related to racism, versus for what we think would be at least more open-minded and more willing to bring us together than divide us,\u201d said Kathy Greene, who voted early with her family. \u201cWe were voting against something even more so than we are for Joe Biden.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Kathy Greene, who stood outside Riverside High School to catch a glimpse of Biden, said she has already voted for the Democratic candidate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unable to hear Biden from the overflow parking lot, some watched a livestream of the event, sharing earbuds, peering over shoulders, his remarks echoing as they played from phone speakers and rang softly from the actual event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFilling out my ballot, I felt the most proud of this vote as I have in many years,\u201d Thomas Whitmire said. \u201cThis goes beyond policy, deeply into the tone of our leadership, and that\u2019s really the main issue at this point. If he\u2019s in, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be a little more selective with policies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking for 19 minutes, Biden touched on healthcare, employment, criminal justice, and how systemic racism seeps into each issue. He encouraged attendees to turn out and support down-ballot Democratic candidates as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to restore America\u2019s soul,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWe got to keep the momentum going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When event goers from the drive-in rally honked in support, those in the overflow parking lot responded with applause and whoops, pulling signs from underneath their elbows to wave in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most spectators remained in the parking lot for the duration of Biden\u2019s remarks, waiting afterwards with the hopes that Biden would exit near them. A procession of cars drove through, Biden-Harris signs hoisted through sunroofs, but the former vice president did not appear among them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Spectators watch as a Biden campaign bus leaves Riverside High School after a drive-in rally on Sunday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the event, Betsy Albright lingered in the parking lot. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see people out in support of our democracy,\u201d she said. \u201cI voted for the protection of our democratic institutions, climate change, health, education, all of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the drive-in rally, the Biden campaign parted ways: the campaign hosted a separate car parade called \u201cTodos con Biden,\u201d driving from Compare Foods, a supermarket in south Durham, to South Regional Library, an early voting site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Biden, on the other hand, continued onto Cook Out, ordering vanilla and chocolate milkshakes for himself and his granddaughter Finnegan before leaving Durham.<\/span><\/p>\n

At top: Bearing phones and masks, Durhamites stand along the street outside a drive-in rally for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday at Riverside High School. All photos taken by Henry Haggart.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Biden campaign passed through Durham on wheels. Spinning down Rose of Sharon Road Sunday afternoon, the Democratic presidential candidate\u2019s motorcade glided by expectant Durhamites,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":4298,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[19,38,135,217,277],"class_list":["post-4297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election-2020","tag-2020-election","tag-biden","tag-election-2020","tag-president","tag-trump","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nBiden visits Durham, pushes voter turnout at drive-in rally<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The former vice president encouraged drive-in rallygoers to vote early as more supporters listened 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