Biden campaign expands staff in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Ahead of Vice President Harris traveling to North Carolina again this week, President Biden’s campaign announced Tuesday it’s expanding its staff in the Tar Heel State, a key battleground in 2024.

The campaign is bringing on Harrison Peel as deputy campaign manager, state Sen. Natalie Murdock as political and coalitions director, James Sonneman as general elections director and Desiree Kennedy as chief operations officer.

The hiring announcements follow the decision to open 10 field offices across the state, targeting areas that could be crucial in the campaign’s effort to try to flip North Carolina after former President Donald Trump won the state twice.

“North Carolina is in play in 2024, and we are laser focused on highlighting the contrast between President Biden’s record of lowering costs and creating jobs and Trump’s work to restrict our freedoms and take away our health care. That’s why we are investing early and bringing on top operatives to secure a win for President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats up and down the ballot in November,” said David Berrios, the Biden campaign’s North Carolina campaign manager, in a statement.

President Biden had a rare joint appearance in Raleigh last week with Vice President Harris, where the two focused on what’s at stake in the election with regard to healthcare, including on abortion access and the future of the Affordable Care Act.

The two also spoke at a fundraiser that day with Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Cooper told the crowd the event raised more than $2.3 million for the campaign, according to pool reports.

Harris will return to North Carolina on Thursday, planning an appearance in Charlotte. The White House says she plans to discuss environmental issues including action to address climate change along with EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

It will be her fourth visit to the state so far this year. While she’s in North Carolina, Harris will open one of the new campaign offices in Charlotte.

Trump’s campaign has not announced when it will open field offices in the state. The Associated Press reported last week that some Republican Party leaders in battleground states raised concerns about a “skeleton” campaign, quoting Pete Hoekstra, the chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.

While former President Barack Obama was the last Democrat to win North Carolina in 2008, party leaders are trying once again to put the state in play. In 2020, Trump won the state by about 1.34 percent, which was his smallest margin of any state he won that year.

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