Vice President Kamala Harris and VP pick are heading to Raleigh, NC. Here’s what we know

North Carolinians can expect a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate next week, according an official with the Harris campaign.

The official said Harris and her pick for vice president — who yet to be announced — plan to “crisscross the country together to campaign for the voters who will decide this election” and Raleigh is on the list of stops.

Further information wasn’t immediately available.

This is Harris’ first visit to the state since President Joe Biden ended his campaign on July 21 and immediately endorsed Harris for the nomination.

Harris has since absorbed Biden’s campaign teams, who made North Carolina a central part of their fight to retain the White House. The Harris campaign said it will continue to be laser-focused on flipping North Carolina blue.

Since 1976, North Carolinians have only elected Republican presidential candidates, with the exception of former President Barack Obama in 2008. But Biden came less than 2 points of defeating former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

The campaign stop will mark Harris’ eighth visit to North Carolina this year. She and a flurry of surrogates have been frequent visitors to North Carolina since the launch of the 2024 campaign season, while the Trump campaign has been less of a presence.

Trump attempted to hold a rally in Wilmington in April, but was forced to cancel due to weather. He then appeared at the NASCAR Cup Series Race, the Coca-Cola 600, in Concord, over Memorial Day weekend. He held a rally in Charlotte on July 24.

Harris counter-programmed against Trump on July 18, as he accepted the Republican nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by holding a campaign event in Fayetteville.

The visit came just days before Biden made his decision to leave his campaign.

Since then, North Carolina has remained in the spotlight as speculation mounted that Harris was eyeing Gov. Roy Cooper as a possible running mate. But on Monday night, Cooper publicly announced he didn’t feel the timing was right and had turned down the job.

But speculation continues about who will join Harris in Raleigh as her running mate. Among the frontrunners are Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shaprio and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Harris is expected to choose a running mate before Wednesday, Aug. 7, when Democrats plan to hold a virtual phone call to lock in their official nominations.