GASTONIA, N.C. — Dozens of Gastonia voters spent their Thursday evening at a cafe, learning about the Harris/Walz ticket—and meeting adoptable cats.
"They're kind of just going leaning into the 'childless cat ladies' for Kamala Harris comment, and they thought a cat cafe would be a good place to do that," Julianna Coon, owner of Cool Beans Cat Cafe, told WCNC Charlotte's Julie Kay.
The event, "Childless Cat Ladies for Harris," was named after comments made by former President Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, a 39-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio.
Though the comment was controversial, many are taking it in stride.
"I fall under that category, so I didn't really take offense to it," Coon said. "I'm just like, yeah, childless cat ladies are usually my people."
Events like this are becoming more and more common, according to Dr. Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College.
"We're seeing a lot of groups become prominent, [like] 'White Dudes for Harris,'" Dr. Bitzer said. "It just has spread across the gamut in terms of voters and self-identification."
After President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in, there was more attention placed on both Vance and Harris' running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. This attention is something unique to this election.
"Whenever you introduce new, whenever you introduce a difference from what we have been expecting, I think people get engaged," Bitzer said. "[They] get to understand who these people are that could potentially be a heartbeat away from the presidency and want to know more about them."
Regardless of your political affiliation, Coon thinks an interest in vice presidential candidates is a good thing.
"Vice presidents are important, and so I'm glad that they're getting traction," Coon said.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.