WILMINGTON, North Carolina — Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence are helping storm victims. They delivered food and water supplies to the Salvation Army for people in North Carolina.
“Thanks for your ministry and thanks for your work. We love the Army,” Pence told a Salvation Army representative. Congressman David Rouzer helped unload the supplies from the Trump-Pence campaign bus. Pence delivered the supplies moments before taking the stage in front of hundreds gathered for a campaign rally.
The Salvation Army representative told Pence, “We’ve served so far over 35,000 meals, so you’re talking about, in a five county area, you know, thousands of families, many of whom have yet to get back to their homes.”
Speaking to the packed and enthusiastic crowd, Pence gave special thanks to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and all of the first responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. “They have saved lives and they have served in the highest tradition of law enforcement.”
“I know it’s been a very challenging time,” said Pence of the hurricane aftermath in the coastal North Carolina town. He spoke of the 26 that lost their lives and said, “You’ve been in the prayers of our nation.”
Pence recounted for the crowd a stop earlier that day at the GOP headquarters that was firebombed just days ago:
Karen and I also just stopped by Orange County where a group of determined local volunteers were clearing out a headquarters that had been subject to an act of nothing less than political terrorism. We saw firsthand not only the aftermath of the fire that could have claimed lives, but we saw the determination of volunteers who would not be intimidated and would not be discouraged.
The Republican vice presidential nominee also spoke of economic challenges facing North Carolinians, “the lowest labor participation rate since the 1970s,” taxes, regulations and health insurance rates shooting up by over 24 percent.
Later at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Pence again acknowledged that it had been a “challenging time” for those in North Carolina in recent weeks. “I just want to assure you that the families of the 26 that lost their lives in the aftermath of the flooding from Hurricane Matthew that you’ve been in the prayers of our nation,” he told the hundreds more gathered there at the evening campaign rally.
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