Maryland Governor And Community Leaders Unite In Support of VP Harris

By: Jordan Meadows 

Staff Writer

In a spirited press conference hosted at NC Central University, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, State Representative Zack Hawkins, Raleigh Councilmember Corey Branch, and other community leaders came together to voice their support for Vice President Kamala Harris while denouncing proposals by Donald Trump and North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.

“I don’t come from a family that’s used to making policies. I come from a family that’s used to suffering the consequences of those policies,” Gov. Moore said. “The reason I am ten toes down for the Vice President is because she has policies that see us, that believe in us, that understand the barriers that exist and are willing to use the system to dismantle the barriers that the system put up in the first place.”

Rep. Hawkins emphasized Harris’s comprehensive four-year plan aimed at alleviating housing costs for working families, including a substantial $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and a pledge to construct 3 million new homes nationwide. He expressed particular concern over Wall Street practices that disproportionately affect Black neighborhoods, calling for action against abusive investors driving up rents.

Raleigh Councilmember Corey Branch of District C echoed Hawkins’ sentiments, describing Harris’s pragmatic approach to strengthening the middle class.

“Regardless of the neighborhood you come from, the color of your skin, the language which your grandparents speak, too many people of color and communities feel overlooked and left behind,” Branch said. “But this November, there is so much one the line. And by casting OUR ballot for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, we are voting for the economic opportunities across our state and country.”

He expressed alarm over Trump’s agenda, which he claims would increase taxes for the middle class and raise the cost of everyday goods, linking it to economic problems Black Americans faced during his first term.

“On Trump’s watch, Black unemployment and insurance rates went up. He worsened the racial wealth gap. The typical White household got double the tax cut as a typical Black household. If he gets another chance in power, Donald Trump has only one plan for the economy: Project 2025,” Branch said.

NC Central University senior and 4th Congressional delegate to the DNC Devin Freeman added his voice to the chorus, emphasizing Harris’s commitment to education and career opportunities for young Black men.

“Vice President Harris, along with President Biden, have invested a record $17 billion in our nation’s HBCUs and delivered the largest increase in Pell Grants in a decade,” Freeman said. “Meanwhile, Donald Trump would be a disaster for students. His Project 2025 agenda for a second term would include extreme plans to eliminate the Department of Education, the Head Start program, take funding away from public schools, and gut student loan forgiveness.”

Business owner and Southeast Raleigh native James Montague highlighted the importance of Harris’s initiatives for small businesses. He praised plans to expand the tax deduction for startups from $5,000 to $50,000 and to collaborate with banks to enhance access to capital for Black entrepreneurs.

“With this blueprint for spurring growth, Vice President Harris is setting the goal of 25 million new small business applications. 25 million—that’s a lot,” Montague said.

As the press conference concluded, community leaders reiterated their commitment to advocating for policies that support economic growth and equality.

‘We have a Vice President, and Governor Walz, who understands that the pathway for long term prosperity is how we create pathways to work, wages, and wealth. We need all three,” Gov. Moore said.

The Harris-Walz presidential campaign also launched a new field office in downtown Cary on Sunday. Gov. Moore headlined the event, accompanied by local Democratic leaders and supporters. Despite the rainy weather, the outdoor gathering sought to rally volunteers and highlight the campaign’s grassroots efforts in the crucial swing state.

Congressman Wiley Nickel, representing North Carolina’s 13th district, affirmed in his speech that the previous election validated Moore’s assertions of North Carolina’s significance.

“The road to the White House runs through North Carolina,” Nickel said. “We are the state that Trump won by the smallest amount in the last election, and when North Carolina goes blue, there’s no path for Trump to get to the White House without our state.”

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro addressed Democratic supporters in Burlington in the morning before joining Attorney General Josh Stein for an event at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro later in the day.

Donald Trump will host a Town Hall in Fayetteville on Friday. Recent polling averages have Trump ahead of Harris in the state by less than one percent. 

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