Kaine: North Carolina is 'checkmate state' in presidential election

Following visits to early voting sites in Charlotte and Apex, Kaine rallied for running mate Hillary Clinton at North Carolina Central University and said that North Carolina is a unique state this election cycle because it serves as a battleground state in the presidential election in the midst of crucial Senate and gubernatorial races at the local level.

“You guys are a checkmate state. If we can win North Carolina for Hillary Clinton, we’re going to win the whole thing,” Kaine said.

Kaine said that many North Carolina voters are frustrated by the way the state is being portrayed on a national level following the passage of House Bill 2, which requires people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificates and bars the LGBT community from nondiscrimination protection. He also mentioned the voter ID law that was recently struck down, saying it was not reflective of the people of North Carolina.

“North Carolina isn’t a place that wants to be known for restrictive voting and things like HB2, and that’s why the local races are so important,” he said.

‘It’s like when he ran out of groups to insult, he said, ‘I know what, I’ll insult our democratic traditions,’” Kaine said.

Kaine also portrayed Trump as a hypocrite for saying during the debate that he respects women while later referring to Clinton as a “nasty woman.”

Kaine said Trump has run a campaign based on divisive language towards his opponent and minority groups, while a Clinton administration would focus on equality for women, minorities and the LGBT community.

“Donald Trump cannot look a woman in the eye and see an equal. When he looks a woman in the eye, he sees maybe a part human and part object, but he does not see an equal,” Kaine said.

Kaine touted that Clinton’s administration would focus on families and children as well as jobs and the economy by implementing debt-free colleges, developing programs that would make it easier to refinance student loans and raising the minimum wage.