Campaigning Resumes in Western North Carolina Following Helene’s Destruction
In the mountainous regions of western North Carolina, hundreds of thousands of voters continue to grapple with the aftermath of the storm.
TroibNews 
BURNSVILLE, North Carolina — Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in Yancey County, claiming Byrdene Byerly’s home along with nearly all her belongings. Amid the chaos, she managed to flee her home with just the mud-stained clothes on her back and her pocketbook.
Regardless of the destruction, Byerly made her way to the county Board of Elections on the first day of early voting to support Kamala Harris. “I’m soon to be 82 years old, and I’ve voted since I was 21,” she shared outside the polling place on Thursday. “I always vote.”
Countless voters in western North Carolina's mountains are still grappling with the aftermath of the storm that struck on September 27, which devastated homes and communities, destroyed roads and water systems, and resulted in at least 95 casualties in this crucial swing state. However, with the presidential race regaining momentum, campaigning has resumed in this region, where conventional outreach had halted. Donald Trump had been working diligently to maintain support in North Carolina, but Kamala Harris has made the contest more competitive since late summer.
As early voting commenced in North Carolina—leading to record voter turnout statewide—the restoration of basic services like water, electricity, and road access is in progress. Both political parties have begun to reactivate their campaign efforts in affected areas. Recently, Democrats held an early-voting kickoff event in Asheville, complemented by both relief and get-out-the-vote initiatives. Trump is set to visit western North Carolina for the first time since the hurricane on Monday, while his team is organizing efforts to transport isolated voters via ATVs to polling locations.
Early concerns among Republicans about reduced voter turnout in the traditionally red region have shifted towards a strategy to mobilize support. Insights from over a dozen Republican campaign officials and party chairs reveal a new determination to ensure voters are able to access polling sites. Trump and Republicans have tapped into the frustrations of residents regarding the slow arrival of federal assistance, despite some local GOP leaders acknowledging the government's prompt response.
“Arguably, they're more eager. I mean, the good thing for us is that President Trump has the single most committed and intense voters of probably any American politician in history,” remarked James Blair, Trump’s political director. “That is definitely what we get on the ground, with people saying things like they will crawl through the mud and walk down the mountain barefoot, whatever it takes to cast their vote — because it is their protest to being screwed in the response, on top of the fact that they wanted to vote for the president, anyway.”
Sarah Sanford exited the Yancey County Board of Elections Thursday with her sister and brother-in-law. Although her trailer was unharmed, they had spent 20 days without water or electricity. She struggled for hours to return home after the flood, navigating through mud and relying on neighbors for help to reach her mobile home. Finding her husband safe was a relief, but he sadly passed away a week ago, leaving her in grief.
Sanford's sister Helen and brother-in-law Joseph Marotta, who battles cancer and requires an oxygen tank, had taken refuge in a shelter for several days. All three expressed their desire to vote for Trump as soon as possible.
“If it wasn't for Samaritan's Purse and some of these other church foundations, we wouldn't be getting the help,” Sanford noted. “Our current political party that's currently running this country, one was on vacation, the other one was wherever she was, campaigning. And the one person that came down, stuck his feet in the river, helped pull somebody out, was giving donations out, was Trump.”
Amid disinformation and memes portraying Trump engaging in rescues post-storm, he has not yet traveled to the affected area. Some state GOP officials had reportedly suggested he hold off on visiting during the recovery phase, while Harris recently met with emergency leaders in Asheville and Charlotte.
Conditions, though still challenging in some areas, have improved overall. Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, fighting back tears, spoke of the difficulty in balancing the election with the pressing devastation in the community. “Everyone keeps asking me about voting locations and everything,” Clayton remarked. “There are still people who have not been found.”
John Anglin, chair of the Yancey County Republican Party, reflected on how the flooding shifted his focus, acknowledging he had initially not considered the election in the wake of disaster. “Election off?” someone messaged him about a delivery of supplies. “Great question,” Anglin replied. “Haven't even thought about it with everything going on. Not sure what will take place. This is so bad.”
However, as cleanup efforts commenced at the Yancey GOP headquarters, party officials began discussions with election authorities concerning how to facilitate voting in the hardest-hit areas, likely involving the use of National Guard tents. “It’s going to take years, years, to rebuild some of these communities,” Anglin stated, but emphasized the importance of voting in the interim. “I think the biggest thing is, right now, just giving people the opportunity to do something that they remember before this,” he added.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Democrats paused campaigning efforts in the region to focus on relief but have since resumed outreach to mobilize voters while continuing to provide assistance. Harris’ team is actively canvassing in numerous counties, incorporating wellness checks as part of their engagement, in addition to gathering supplies from neighboring states.
Leslie Carey, chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, lost her home in the storm but is determined to continue the party's campaigning efforts. “Everything came to a halt that we’d been working on,” noted Dalton Buchanan, chair of the Henderson County Young Democrats. “It became not a priority for a bit.”
However, political realities prompted a shift back to campaigning as misinformation and threats to FEMA arose, with some officials urging victims to apply for aid. Over the weekend, the local party resumed canvassing and phone banking efforts.
As Blair stated, Trump’s team is committed to “throwing the kitchen sink at educating the affected voters” on how they can vote, utilizing various media and ground tactics. “It’s a combination of old school and new school, anything and everything, all-of-the-above type approach,” he elaborated.
Brett Callaway, chair of the Henderson County Republican Party, shared that his daughter's ice cream shop was lost to the storm, yet he believes residents are still determined to vote. “Yes, we had a storm, and that's going to be a challenge to a lot of people,” Callaway said, noting some voters remain isolated. “But I think they’ll just crawl over broken glass to get to the polls,” he added.
A Trump campaign official, speaking anonymously, shared that likely Trump supporters suffered almost double the impact compared to those voting for Harris. During a recent meeting, local Republican officials estimated that around 600,000 GOP voters were affected by the floods. Michele Woodhouse, chair of the NCGOP’s 11th congressional district, stressed the necessity of providing assistance to those in need.
Teresa Rhinehart, a 63-year-old volunteer, reflected on her situation, saying she still needs clothing after the floods, but she perseveres in her volunteering efforts at the Buncombe GOP office despite being unable to canvass. “The other day I was so discouraged, I thought, I don’t know if I’m going to vote,” she admitted. “Then I said, ‘Now Teresa, what would your mama say? Don’t be dumb.’”
Then there's the damage visible in Swannanoa—a bent Trump-Vance “Make America Great Again!” yard sign smothered in mud next to a heap of household debris. Nearby, a man sifted through items at his elderly parents’ home, now vacant and marked “condemned,” expressing indifference when asked about his voting intentions. His parting words captured the sentiment of the area he inhabited: “We haven’t seen any Democrats come here.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Regardless of the destruction, Byerly made her way to the county Board of Elections on the first day of early voting to support Kamala Harris. “I’m soon to be 82 years old, and I’ve voted since I was 21,” she shared outside the polling place on Thursday. “I always vote.”
Countless voters in western North Carolina's mountains are still grappling with the aftermath of the storm that struck on September 27, which devastated homes and communities, destroyed roads and water systems, and resulted in at least 95 casualties in this crucial swing state. However, with the presidential race regaining momentum, campaigning has resumed in this region, where conventional outreach had halted. Donald Trump had been working diligently to maintain support in North Carolina, but Kamala Harris has made the contest more competitive since late summer.
As early voting commenced in North Carolina—leading to record voter turnout statewide—the restoration of basic services like water, electricity, and road access is in progress. Both political parties have begun to reactivate their campaign efforts in affected areas. Recently, Democrats held an early-voting kickoff event in Asheville, complemented by both relief and get-out-the-vote initiatives. Trump is set to visit western North Carolina for the first time since the hurricane on Monday, while his team is organizing efforts to transport isolated voters via ATVs to polling locations.
Early concerns among Republicans about reduced voter turnout in the traditionally red region have shifted towards a strategy to mobilize support. Insights from over a dozen Republican campaign officials and party chairs reveal a new determination to ensure voters are able to access polling sites. Trump and Republicans have tapped into the frustrations of residents regarding the slow arrival of federal assistance, despite some local GOP leaders acknowledging the government's prompt response.
“Arguably, they're more eager. I mean, the good thing for us is that President Trump has the single most committed and intense voters of probably any American politician in history,” remarked James Blair, Trump’s political director. “That is definitely what we get on the ground, with people saying things like they will crawl through the mud and walk down the mountain barefoot, whatever it takes to cast their vote — because it is their protest to being screwed in the response, on top of the fact that they wanted to vote for the president, anyway.”
Sarah Sanford exited the Yancey County Board of Elections Thursday with her sister and brother-in-law. Although her trailer was unharmed, they had spent 20 days without water or electricity. She struggled for hours to return home after the flood, navigating through mud and relying on neighbors for help to reach her mobile home. Finding her husband safe was a relief, but he sadly passed away a week ago, leaving her in grief.
Sanford's sister Helen and brother-in-law Joseph Marotta, who battles cancer and requires an oxygen tank, had taken refuge in a shelter for several days. All three expressed their desire to vote for Trump as soon as possible.
“If it wasn't for Samaritan's Purse and some of these other church foundations, we wouldn't be getting the help,” Sanford noted. “Our current political party that's currently running this country, one was on vacation, the other one was wherever she was, campaigning. And the one person that came down, stuck his feet in the river, helped pull somebody out, was giving donations out, was Trump.”
Amid disinformation and memes portraying Trump engaging in rescues post-storm, he has not yet traveled to the affected area. Some state GOP officials had reportedly suggested he hold off on visiting during the recovery phase, while Harris recently met with emergency leaders in Asheville and Charlotte.
Conditions, though still challenging in some areas, have improved overall. Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, fighting back tears, spoke of the difficulty in balancing the election with the pressing devastation in the community. “Everyone keeps asking me about voting locations and everything,” Clayton remarked. “There are still people who have not been found.”
John Anglin, chair of the Yancey County Republican Party, reflected on how the flooding shifted his focus, acknowledging he had initially not considered the election in the wake of disaster. “Election off?” someone messaged him about a delivery of supplies. “Great question,” Anglin replied. “Haven't even thought about it with everything going on. Not sure what will take place. This is so bad.”
However, as cleanup efforts commenced at the Yancey GOP headquarters, party officials began discussions with election authorities concerning how to facilitate voting in the hardest-hit areas, likely involving the use of National Guard tents. “It’s going to take years, years, to rebuild some of these communities,” Anglin stated, but emphasized the importance of voting in the interim. “I think the biggest thing is, right now, just giving people the opportunity to do something that they remember before this,” he added.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Democrats paused campaigning efforts in the region to focus on relief but have since resumed outreach to mobilize voters while continuing to provide assistance. Harris’ team is actively canvassing in numerous counties, incorporating wellness checks as part of their engagement, in addition to gathering supplies from neighboring states.
Leslie Carey, chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, lost her home in the storm but is determined to continue the party's campaigning efforts. “Everything came to a halt that we’d been working on,” noted Dalton Buchanan, chair of the Henderson County Young Democrats. “It became not a priority for a bit.”
However, political realities prompted a shift back to campaigning as misinformation and threats to FEMA arose, with some officials urging victims to apply for aid. Over the weekend, the local party resumed canvassing and phone banking efforts.
As Blair stated, Trump’s team is committed to “throwing the kitchen sink at educating the affected voters” on how they can vote, utilizing various media and ground tactics. “It’s a combination of old school and new school, anything and everything, all-of-the-above type approach,” he elaborated.
Brett Callaway, chair of the Henderson County Republican Party, shared that his daughter's ice cream shop was lost to the storm, yet he believes residents are still determined to vote. “Yes, we had a storm, and that's going to be a challenge to a lot of people,” Callaway said, noting some voters remain isolated. “But I think they’ll just crawl over broken glass to get to the polls,” he added.
A Trump campaign official, speaking anonymously, shared that likely Trump supporters suffered almost double the impact compared to those voting for Harris. During a recent meeting, local Republican officials estimated that around 600,000 GOP voters were affected by the floods. Michele Woodhouse, chair of the NCGOP’s 11th congressional district, stressed the necessity of providing assistance to those in need.
Teresa Rhinehart, a 63-year-old volunteer, reflected on her situation, saying she still needs clothing after the floods, but she perseveres in her volunteering efforts at the Buncombe GOP office despite being unable to canvass. “The other day I was so discouraged, I thought, I don’t know if I’m going to vote,” she admitted. “Then I said, ‘Now Teresa, what would your mama say? Don’t be dumb.’”
Then there's the damage visible in Swannanoa—a bent Trump-Vance “Make America Great Again!” yard sign smothered in mud next to a heap of household debris. Nearby, a man sifted through items at his elderly parents’ home, now vacant and marked “condemned,” expressing indifference when asked about his voting intentions. His parting words captured the sentiment of the area he inhabited: “We haven’t seen any Democrats come here.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
