HIGH POINT, N.C. — It's a national race to the finish line for both parties.
"They want crooked Joe out of the race. It's a shame the way they're treating him, but don't feel sorry for him. He's a very bad guy. He weaponized government," Former President Donald Trump said while speaking in Miami.
A race that gets more contentious, each day.
"It's simple. President Biden and I fight for the American people Donald Trump does not. He fights for himself," Vice President Kamala Harris while speaking in Greensboro.
The attention now shifts to the race in November between him and former President Donald Trump.
WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman got expert insight about the impact in North Carolina.
Winning North Carolina, a swing state, is crucial for both Biden and Trump.
We've already seen how important our state is by the number of campaign visits from both parties.
Chairman and Associate Professor with High Point University's Political Science Department, Martin Kifer, broke down what it will take for either candidate to win over North Carolina voters.
Kifer said our state leans red, "you've got that foundation that republican candidates are building on and democrat candidates have to run against."
Too, the stakes are North Carolina. Each candidate wants to win the battleground state.
Kifer said this particular race between the current candidates Biden and Trump is unique and could take North Carolina in a different direction.
"You have Donald Trump, who's been president before and now is running to reclaim that office. You have Joe Biden who is the incumbent president," Kifer said.
So, what will actually help either of these candidates win? Well, part of it is about the issues they stand behind.
"Voters are gonna look and apply their judgment about what issues are most important to them and who's gonna serve them best," Kifer said.
He said what it really boils down to, is how many people show up to the polls.
"It's about turn out, not just persuasion," Kifer said.
Ultimately, the candidate who ends up winning North Carolina will likely do so by motivating people to get to the polls.
He said for the most part, voters know who they want to win, it's just again, about getting them to vote.