North Carolina
Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline
Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.
With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the country’s first president of Asian American heritage, it’s ignited excitement in the community.
“I’ve already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.
Harris marked many “firsts” when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.
Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.
The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.
It’s grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote — a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We are too consequential to elections — every election, local, state, and federal, where we’re changing the political landscape in North Carolina.”
The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.
Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.
“We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication,” Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. “We know that we need to continue that and more so now.”
That’s why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.
Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, there’s a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.
“A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We’re really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.”
Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.
Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.
The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.
“In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history,” according to Natalie Murdock, the campaign’s North Carolina political and coalitions director.
Good evening, North Carolina. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
Charlotte, Triad and mountains
A soggy and chilly weather setup is established around the region. We will have rain at times tonight and tomorrow morning and then look for clouds and lingering drizzle at times tomorrow afternoon.
Another wave of showers is looking likely later Wednesday into Wednesday night.
The bottom line is we are in a wet, raw, chilly period of weather. Highs will run well below average the next several days, and rain totals will likely be 1-3 inches in many areas. Overall flooding potential looks low.
Central North Carolina
Showers will remain dominant through Tuesday afternoon. Expect morning lows Tuesday in the upper 40s ahead of an afternoon high in the low to mid-50s.
Winds will be breezy through the day with 20 to 30 mph gusts possible. A break in the rain may be possible early Wednesday before another batch of showers moves in Wednesday evening and continues through early Thursday.
Much of central North Carolina should see around 1 to 3 inches of rain this week.
Eastern North Carolina
An area of low pressure will track up the coast through Tuesday. That will also make for a windy Tuesday. Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible at the Outer Banks, up to 40 mph for the Crystal Coast and up to 20-30 mph for the rest of eastern North Carolina.
Coastal flooding will also be possible at high tides through midweek. That could impact N.C. 12 along the Outer Banks, especially around Buxton and on Ocracoke. Some roads in eastern Carteret County may flood as well.
We may get a break in the rain Tuesday night into much of Wednesday before another wave of rain arrives for late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Much of eastern North Carolina should see around 1 to 3 inches of rain this week.
Get your full forecast: Charlotte | Triad | Triangle | Coastal | Mountains
Today’s Big Stories
1. 13 shot at Halloween party in southeastern N.C., 2 killed
Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins’ office said in a news release that 13 people were shot. He said that homicide investigators and others were at the scene of the party in a rural area outside of Maxton, about 95 miles southwest of Raleigh near the South Carolina border. Deputies found Jessie Locklear Jr., 49, and Nehemiah Locklear, 16, both of Lumberton, dead at the scene.
2. Attendance dips at N.C. State Fair. A look at the numbers
Food vendors and carnival workers are packing up their candied apples, cotton candy, games and giant stuffed prizes, marking the end of the 2025 North Carolina State Fair season. This year, there were 946,811 total fairgoers during the fair’s 11-day run, according to figures from the state’s Department of Agriculture. That is nearly 8,000 fewer than the past 10-year average and more than 50,000 less than last year.
3. Salisbury police chief says bystander likely saved officer’s life during knife-wielding assault
Salisbury Police Chief Patrick Smith is praising a bystander’s courageous actions that he says likely saved an officer’s life during an assault Sunday evening. The officer and bystander were injured by a knife-wielding suspect at a Cookout on East Innes Street, police said. The suspect faces multiple charges.
4. Greensboro officer’s near-death experience highlights why impaired driving can be fatal
Looking back at photos of his totaled police cruiser, Greensboro police Cpl. Nicholas Walton says he’s lucky to be alive. Two years ago, a drunken driver traveling at 80 mph crashed into the back of Walton’s car as he was parked on the side of the road. He came away from the crash with no serious injuries and says he’s one of the lucky ones.
5. Category 5 Hurricane Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica Tuesday
Hurricane Melissa is a powerful Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea. It’s expected to remain a powerful storm as it makes landfall in Jamaica Tuesday. Melissa formed on Tuesday, Oct. 21, becoming the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Melissa will begin to turn northward soon as it approaches Jamaica.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
- Gotham Awards for film nominations announced
- Monthly House Price Index/Housing Vacancies/Consumer Confidence Index
- Senate Armed Services nominations hearing of Brendan Rogers to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment, James Caggy to be Assistant Secretary of the Defense for Mission Capabilities, Joseph Jewell to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, and Marc Berkowitz to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy
In Case You Missed It
For most, the State Fair means delicious fried food, games and fun, but for workers behind the scenes, these long days can stretch from sunrise to beyond sunset. That’s where the North Carolina Campers on Mission comes in. It’s a group that has spent decades quietly working behind the scenes to make sure the people who make it happen are supported.
The Virginia Cavaliers escaped with a 17-16 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, needing overtime to prevail. The Cavaliers stopped the Tar Heels on a two-point conversion, which would have given North Carolina the win if successful. However, running back Benjamin Hall was inches short of reaching the pylon.
North Carolina controlled the flow of the contest, but ultimately, three turnovers, including an interception in the end zone, proved to be too much for the Tar Heels to overcome.
Not only was it a missed opportunity for North Carolina, but it also prevented the Duke Blue Devils from making up ground, despite being on a bye week.
Keeping all of that in mind, here is how the result of this game affects the Blue Devils’ chances of qualifying for the ACC Championship game later in December.
Obviously, it was not the end result that the Blue Devils were hoping for, but there are certainly reasons to feel positive from Duke’s perspective.
For one, the Cavaliers looked quite vulnerable in this contest, as they were outgained by nearly 100 yards, took six sacks, and were overall completely inept offensively.
Quarterback Chandler Morris’ performance was quite concerning, as he completed 20-of-35 pass attempts for 200 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He threw errant passes all game, including two consecutive misses near the goal line that were rudimentary throws.
The win sends the Cavaliers to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play. However, watching this game, it is apparent that Virginia is not as good as its record.
Despite the victory furthering the Cavaliers’ control of their own destiny, Duke’s confidence should not waver when considering Virginia’s current position in the conference.
Virginia’s last three wins have come with a combined margin of victory of eight total points, which included a game-winning safety against Washington State last week and a game-clinching stop in overtime on Saturday against North Carolina.
Additionally, the Blue Devils will have their chance to take matters into their own hands when they host the Cavaliers on Nov. 15.
If Virginia plays remotely close to how it did on Saturday, unlike North Carolina, Duke will take advantage of every opportunity the Cavaliers present. Darian Mensah is light-years ahead of Gio Lopez, who was putrid, despite having ample opportunities to take control of the game.
Virginia was fortunate Lopez was the signal caller on the other side on Saturday. The junior quarterback attempted 5.8 yards per pass, and throwing two costly interceptions.
Duke is still within striking distance, and fortunately for the Blue Devils, they will have their opportunity to deal with Virginia themselves in a few weeks.
As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE
CAMPBELL COUNTY, Va. – A man from North Carolina has been arrested and charged with damaging property at Lynchburg Regional Airport, according to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office.
Shortly after midnight Thursday, deputies found the suspect on airport grounds attempting to break through the glass doors to enter the building. Deputies approached and took him into custody without incident.
The suspect has been identified as 20-year-old Landen Ray Hayden of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Investigators determined that Hayden, who was intoxicated at the time, unlawfully entered airport property and caused significant damage. This included overturning several drums containing cleaning fluid used by airport staff in daily operations.
Hayden faces the following charges:
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Felony property damage
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Trespassing
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Underage possession of alcohol
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Public intoxication
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Contaminating waterways
The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with Lynchburg Regional Airport officials as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office at 434-332-9574, Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900 or www.cvcrimestoppers.org, or submit a tip online at www.p3tips.com. Tips may remain anonymous, and information leading to an arrest could be eligible for a cash reward.
Copyright 2025 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.
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