Groups from across political spectrum gather in Raleigh Saturday

With a few hundred votes remaining to be counted in North Carolina, political supporters of both presidential candidates gathered in downtown Raleigh Saturday afternoon.

Posted 4:21 p.m. Nov 14, 2020 — Updated 12:12 a.m. Nov 15, 2020

Jodi Leese Glusco

, WRAL director of digital content

RALEIGH, N.C. — With a few hundred votes remaining to be counted in North Carolina, political supporters of both presidential candidates gathered in downtown Raleigh Saturday afternoon.

By 1 p.m., hundreds of Trump supporters lined the sidewalk outside the State Capitol, many of them waving flags. About 40 representatives of NC Born, a group that has marched regularly for police reform since the death of George Floyd, faced off across the street. The groups yelled back and forth – one Trump supporter paced with a megaphone – but stayed on their respective sides.

Activated NC, a group that labels itself "Southern Resistance," posted to Instagram plans for "local actions" to "protest the MAGA" Saturday in Raleigh and Durham. In Washington, D.C., groups identified online by a variety of names including "Stop the Steal," "March for Trump" and "MAGA Million March," gathered to protest the outcome of the presidential election.

A group of Democratic supporters known as Team Democracy coalition held a more traditional event on Halifax Mall. Called "The People will Rise," featured speakers, including Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II.

The events come a week after groups in support of both presidential candidates – incumbent Republican Donald J. Trump and challenger Democrat Joe Biden – took to the streets after major media outlets projected Biden would be the president-elect. Both of those rallies were peaceful, and the groups did not overlap. In Durham, an election celebration lasted into the night.

A party in Durham, activism in Raleigh after new president is announced

On Friday, as North Carolina counties reported canvass results, the Associated Press called Trump as the winner of the state’s 15 electoral votes. The AP concluded there were not enough outstanding ballots Friday afternoon remaining to be counted that would allow Biden to overtake Trump’s lead of nearly 74,000 votes.

Republicans already had preserved their House and Senate majorities for another two years on election night.

Georgia was called for Biden Friday. As a result, Biden’s final projected Electoral College vote victory over Trump amounted to 306 to 232, according to NBC News.

With 97 percent of the expected vote across the country counted as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Biden led Trump by 50.8 percent to 47.4 percent in the popular vote, a contrast to Trump, who lost the popular vote in 2016 while winning the Electoral College.

The nearly 78 million votes that have so far been counted for Biden is the largest number of votes won in the U.S. by any presidential candidate.

Trump aides continue to insist that the Republican president will prevail in litigation which alleges mass fraud without producing evidence.

Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president on Jan. 20.

Suggest A Correction