Crowds gather for Donald Trump rally in Hickory, NC
Crowds began gathering Monday morning at Lenoir-Rhyne University for presidential candidate Donald Trump’s 10 a.m. rally.
His event is the first in a series of presidential candidate visits in the Charlotte area Monday. Former Secretary of State Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will each address Charlotte rallies. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rallied more than 3,000 supporters Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.
Details on attending Clinton event
Details on attending Sanders event
At least 2,000 had already showed up by 8 a.m. for the Trump event.
About 80 protesters were among those who arrived early. In a statement from Lenoir-Rhyne University, organizers said they were working with the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement to provide security but wouldn’t go into details.
They gave out around 3,000 tix for Trump rally @10 at Lenoir-Rhyne. Line snaking around already at 7:30 pic.twitter.com/embj2pV3Go
— Katie Peralta (@katieperalta) March 14, 2016
Protesters at Trump's hickory rally are peaceful, hold signs of w/ messages love etc pic.twitter.com/zxalFojdZZ
— Katie Peralta (@katieperalta) March 14, 2016
The Republican frontrunner’s events have been interrupted by protesters for months. Last week, the protests sparked physical violence.
A Public Policy Polling survey released Sunday showed Trump with a wide lead. Trump had 44 percent to 33 percent for Cruz. Ohio Sen. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who have not campaigned in North Carolina, were trailing: 11 percent for Kasich and 4 percent for Rubio.
This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 5:24 AM with the headline "Crowds gather for Donald Trump rally in Hickory, NC."