SELMA, N.C. — Former President Donald Trump is wrapping up his campaign in part with a series of rallies in North Carolina over the weekend, ending in Raleigh on Monday.

More than 4 million North Carolinians had cast ballots by mid-afternoon Friday, with registered Republicans making up the largest group of voters through Thursday — something unheard in previous elections’ early voting periods. But they still have only a slight lead over Democrats and unaffiliated voters. And it’s unclear how any of them are voting, especially the unaffiliated.

Trump’s multiple campaign stops may be a last-minute push to change voters’ minds before Election Day on Tuesday.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, kicks off a series of stops by the Republican ticket.

Vance was expected to address supporters Friday evening in Selma, while Trump will hold rallies in Gastonia and Greensboro on Saturday. The campaign announced Friday Trump would stop in Kinston, in Eastern North Carolina, for another rally on Sunday, and then in Raleigh on Monday at Dorton Arena, on the state fairgrounds.

The former president held a rally in Rocky Mount on Wednesday, just a few hours after Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh.

North Carolina is one of seven major battleground states where polling averages show an incredibly close race. As of Friday, 538 and RealClearPolitics showed Trump leading on average by 1.4 and 1.5 percentage points, respectively, both of which are well within the margin of error of most reputable polls.

Republicans are confident about Trump’s chances in North Carolina, which he won both in 2016 and 2020, although by a smaller margin of just 1.3 percentage points four years ago. At the same time, they’re aware that North Carolina is likely a must-win state for Trump.

While campaigning in Greenville back in September, Vance acknowledged that it would be “very hard for us to win unless we’re able to get North Carolina,” NBC News reported.

Early voting has been underway in North Carolina since Oct. 17, and ends on Saturday, Nov. 2. More than half of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters cast their ballots either during in-person early voting, or by mail.

Ahead of Vance’s visit to the state Friday, N.C. Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said Trump’s blitz across the state in the final three days before Election Day shows that he’s worried about his chances in the state this year.

“We know that Republicans don’t win the White House without winning North Carolina, so I’d say he’s pretty (expletive) scared,” Clayton said during a press conference at the office of the Johnston County Democratic Party in Smithfield.

N.C. GOP spokesman Matt Mercer said in response Friday that Trump and Vance have been “outworking” Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.

“I guess they’re just exhausted and don’t have the ability to show the American people that they deserve to be elected on Tuesday,” Mercer said.

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