D-3 U.S. Presidential election, 1%p super-contest, and public sentiment in North Carolina?

[Anchor]
With the U.S. presidential election just three days away, let's go to the contested state, Pennsylvania, and today we're going to North Carolina, the Sun Belt battleground.

Let's connect with a correspondent in North Carolina and hear firsthand what the public sentiment is like at this time.

Correspondent Hong Sang-hee.

North Carolina is also a competitive state that will determine the outcome of the presidential election, and there is a fierce competition between Vice President Harris and former President Trump.

How is the situation on the ground?

[Reporter]
I'm at Duke University in Durham County, North Carolina.

It's Friday, November 1st here.

Earlier, we had finished covering two early polling stations in Durham County, where we could see voters lining up to vote from 8 a.m.

In North Carolina, face-to-face early voting has been held since the 17th of last month.

On the first day of early voting, the number of voters who visited 100 counties reached an all-time high.

At the time of COVID-19 in 2020, 65% of all votes were cast in advance, and attention is also being paid to the results of the early voting rate in this presidential election.

As you mentioned earlier, North Carolina is one of the seven competing states that will determine the outcome of this presidential election.

It is also a difficult strategy to back down to both former President Trump, who is strong in the Sun Belt region, or Vice President Harris, who is desperate to win even one more place, especially since it is the second-highest total of 16 electors after Pennsylvania.

[Crying]
What's the current state of affairs in North Carolina?

[Reporter]
Voters who met at early polling stations were also competing so tightly that neither party could be said to be dominant.

North Carolina has been viewed as a traditional Republican strong region.

This is because all Republican candidates won the U.S. presidential election after 1980, except for President Barack Obama's election in 2008.

Durham County, which also has Duke University here in North Carolina, has many Democratic supporters, but the outskirts and most of the countryside have high Trump approval ratings and many conservative Christians.

An Oct. 31 CNN poll showed Harris' approval rating in North Carolina at 48% and Trump's at 47% -- a one-point gap.

Listen directly to the voters who voted early.

[Nancy Mayer/Harris supporter] When Vice President Kamala Harris appeared after President Biden stepped down, there was an incredible amount of enthusiasm. I was surprised that the passion built up so quickly.]

[Dina Nath / Trump supporter] Trump is a businessman and knows how to run the country like a business. He thinks he'll get rid of wasteful spending, he'll get rid of North Carolina government spending, he'll handle foreign policy well.

[Anchor]
The ultra-close competition is going on until the end of the election. What are the winning and losing variables in North Carolina?

[Reporter]
There are two main North Carolina variables.

Hurricane Hurlin and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

First of all, Hurricane Hurlin, which hit this place at the end of September, was very damaging.

More than 240 people have been killed in the southeastern United States, with half of those deaths coming from North Carolina.

In Ashville County, which suffered the worst damage since Katrina in 2005, the recovery of electricity and water is still slow, causing voters to disappoint over the Biden administration's response.

In September, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson's past Black Nazi remarks calling for the resurgence of slavery also affected voters.

Former President Trump has also praised Robinson in the past, comparing him to Martin Luther King, who received steroids, but he has recently been wary of distance.

[Anchor]
For Vice President Harris and former President Trump, who need to win in a contested state, it would be a must to catch North Carolina. What are the strategies of both sides?

[Reporter]
It was a few days ago. Vice President Harris and former President Trump visited North Carolina at the same time on the 30th.

Vice President Harris visited Raleigh here and stressed that unlike former President Trump, he does not consider anyone who disagrees as an enemy and will be a president for all Americans.

He also stressed that the top priority will be to lower the cost of living for Americans, not static lists.

Former President Trump also visited Rocky Mount northeast of Raleigh on the same day.

President Biden attacked Trump for calling his supporters trash, saying they can't lead the United States if they don't love it.

On the 21st, he also visited the North Carolina typhoon damage site and urged the Biden and Harris governments to vote for him, claiming that they were unable to properly respond to damage recovery because they were spending money on accepting illegal immigrants.

North Carolina voters who met at the scene today also took different positions depending on the criteria of economy or democratic values.

Following 2008, it is expected that we will have to wait and see until the results of the vote to decide whether to favor Democratic candidate Harris or give Republican Trump a victory.

I'm YTN Hong Sang-hee from Duke University, North Carolina.