Charlotte: Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump zeroed in on the Sun Belt on Saturday as they embarked on one last weekend quest to sway every undecided voter in the battleground states. They pitched rival agendas on the economy — and more — that each insisted is what Americans want.
"We have overcome every attack, every abuse and even two assassination attempts," Trump said at a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. "And now it all comes down to this."
Later, Trump headed to Virginia, which isn't considered a battleground state, but offered a similar message, telling supporters that there is no way he can lose and is on the cusp of "the greatest political victory in the history of our country."
Trump predicted he would win not just the Electoral College count - but a majority of votes cast across the country, which he failed to do in two previous tries.
"We're going to win the popular vote," Trump told the crowd. "I think we have a really good chance to win the popular vote."
Harris, meanwhile, has been urging her supporters to vote early so she can be elected and provide the "new generation of leadership" that she argues she represents.
"I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States of America," she said during remarks at a rally at the Atlanta Civic Center parking lot. She had to pause a few times to allow medics to attend to people who had fainted after spending hours in the heat.
"It's hot out here, Atlanta," the vice president said.
It was unclear whether Harris herself had voted early. Campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said Saturday that Harris plans to vote by mail, but he could not say whether she had returned her ballot to her home state of California. Trump was expected to vote in person on Tuesday in Florida.
"Anybody here already voted?" she asked the Atlanta crowd, which cheered loudly in response. "Oh wow. Oh my goodness. Thank you, thank you."
It was part of a final, frenzied push by Harris, Trump, their running mates and their high-profile stand-ins to encourage people to vote early or in person on Tuesday, Election Day.
Harris' campaign hoped for a "high-impact" moment with a two-minute spot to air Sunday during NFL games on CBS and FOX, including the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions, two swing state teams. It shows Harris interacting with people during the campaign and talking directly to viewers.
"Now I'm asking for your vote because as president I will get up every day and fight for the American people," she says at the end.
Harris Campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon projected confidence Saturday on a conference call with reporters as both sides embarked on that final sprint to get out the vote. "If you can hear the joy in my voice it is because we are in GOTV weekend," she said.
Trump, meanwhile, spoke wistfully, as he has at some of his recent rallies, about how after nearly a decade of campaigning, his final race is nearing its end.
"We're going to meet again many times I hope," said the former president, who also was stopping in Salem, Virginia — not a battleground state — before returning to North Carolina for a late-night rally in Greensboro. "This has been the thrill of a lifetime for me and for you."