Trump rally boosts GOP candidate on eve of 9th District election

The "Keep America Great" rally at the Crown Expo Center drew a raucous crowd that echoed some of the signature chants of Trump's 2016 campaign – "build that wall" and "drain the swamp" – but added one looking toward the future: "four more years."

The president was on stage for more than an hour, detailing his record on the economy, trade, immigration, judicial appointments and gun rights – and comparing his stances with those of potential Democratic challengers next year.

"Democrats are now the party of high taxes, high crime, open borders, late-term abortion and socialism," he said. "The Republican Party is the party of the American worker, the American family and the American dream."

The rally was ostensibly a campaign boost for state Sen. Dan Bishop, a Mecklenburg County Republican running for the open 9th Congressional District seat.

Bishop is running against Democrat Dan McCready, Libertarian Jeff Scott and Green Party candidate Allen Smith in Tuesday's race.

"The last thing [Trump] needs is for the 9th District to send him another Nancy Pelosi clone," Bishop told the cheering audience.

But despite cameos by Bishop and state Rep. Greg Murphy, who is running in a separate special election to fill the 3rd Congressional District seat along the North Carolina coast left open by the death of Congressman Walter Jones early this year, the rally was more about Trump's re-election in 2020 than in Tuesday's vote counts.

"The radical Democrats want to dismantle, demolish and destroy everything that you've gained" in the last two years, Trump said. "It's also why we need four more years. It's like a plant. ... We've changed things, but it's got to grow. It's got to develop those roots, and once it does, it's going to be very hard for them to destroy what we've done."

"The 2020 election is about one thing – you," he said at the conclusion of the rally. "It's about your family, your future and the fate of your country."

Thousands of people waited hours during a steamy afternoon for a chance to get inside the rally.

"There’s only one reason I’m here: Mr. Trump," said Dave Maloof, who blew a trumpet for Trump while waiting in line.

William Young said he drove from Virginia to attend his first-ever Trump rally.

"I've watched these rallies on TV, and I've always wanted to be in the middle of it, and I finally got an opportunity when it came close enough to where I can drive," Young said.

Trump needs all of the support he can get as the 2020 election approaches," Young said.

"I'm confident, but I'm not overconfident," he said. "You never take anything for granted. People still have to go out and vote. He still has to make his case."

"This is an old-school, grassroots campaign. You've got to meet voters face to face," he said.

The voided election results from last fall, where McCready fell about 900 votes short of victory, only strengthened his resolve in the new campaign, he said.

"I choose to fight, the people here today choose to fight and, mark my words, the election tomorrow is the people's chance to get justice." he said.

"It's easy to be nice to people in their face, but are we going to support them with their lifestyle and choices?" Guynn said.

Trump's rally paints an interesting picture of the campaign, McCready said.

"Obviously, Dan Bishop is terrified," he said. "He's afraid to run on his record of cutting health care costs, and he's pulling everybody in to save him."

Earlier Monday, Bishop campaigned in the Charlotte area with Vice President Mike Pence.

Maloof said the fraud in the earlier election won’t discourage him from voting for the best candidate.

"I don’t think its going to change the outcome," he said. "The better man is going to win."

Trump had planned a Monday afternoon visit an Emerald Isle RV park damaged by a Hurricane Dorian-spawned tornado last week, but stormy weather forced him to cancel the stop.

The president landed in Havelock in the late afternoon, but storm clouds moved in soon afterward, prompting the Secret Service to tell the crowd that had gathered to see the president to seek shelter.

"We are behind you 100 percent," Trump told the Fayetteville crowd about the federal government's support for hurricane victims and plans to provide relief and recovery aid.

Gov. Roy Cooper briefed Trump and other federal officials on board Air Force One about the state's response to Dorian, and he requested an expedited federal disaster declaration for the state.

Cooper also pushed for several reforms of federal disaster recovery spending that would help get money to people in need faster. He indicated that some block grant money often takes too long to reach the states because of delays in the publication of the Federal Register, and he asked that Congress codify that program so that such publication is no longer required. He also told Trump that a universal application for federal programs for survivors would help simplify the process for people impacted by storms and other disasters.

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