Editor’s note: This story is a compilation of Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatches, “Via Chicago,” originally published online from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago the week of Aug. 19. 

Editor’s note: This is the final installment of “Via Chicago,” Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Look for a new installment each day this week, through Friday.

Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Look for a new installment each day this week, through Friday.

To the Editor:  

You have done something rare in American politics putting the needs of the country above your own by ending your run for a second term.

Old-school campaigning is back in rural North Carolina, and this time it’s the Democrats leading the charge. 

In the 2020 election, North Carolina Democrats lost the presidential election by fewer than 75,000 votes and are looking to make up for those missed opportunities this election cycle by turning to old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning and hosting events in rural counties to connect with voters. 

News of President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race may have shocked some observers, but North Carolina’s Democratic delegates appear fired up and ready to get behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new nominee.

To the Editor:

Donald Trump’s association with and love of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has taught him and his cohorts how to prepare mentally for a fight.

To the Editor:

Millions of people tuned in to the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on June 27. What did we see? No one could deny that we saw a president clearly diminished cognitively.

I was raised in a rural, conservative-leaning county with two working parents and six busy kids. My mother was a nurse and public heath educator and my father worked in insurance and real estate before serving three terms as our Republican State House representative and later as a lawyer and court judge.