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Her rally tonight comes on the heels of the vice president's debate with former President Donald Trump as she looks to gain ground in North Carolina, which is expected to be a competitive state in this election cycle.

Hours before Harris' scheduled 8 p.m. appearance, the first few throngs of people arrived. And kept coming.

By 5 p.m., roughly 10,000 had already filed into the coliseum.

By 6 p.m., there was 20,000 in the arena — almost full capacity.

A DJ blasted music from Beyonce and Mary J. Blige as people danced with glow-in-the-dark wristbands.

Large banners with the words “Freedom� and “A New Way Forward� could be seen.

Among the masses, Renee Woodberry said she wanted to experience what Harris had to say live and in person.

“Well, honestly for me, this is my first rally I’ve ever been to,� Woodberry said. “I just love Kamala Harris, what she represents, and I really wanted to get more of an in-person experience when it comes to her.�

The vice president has her sights set on North Carolina, with rallies on Thursday scheduled in Charlotte as well as Greensboro — her first political events after she buoyed supporters with her performance in Tuesday’s debate. Her team is working to turn key moments from the debate into new television and digital advertising, and promising more travel in battleground states.

Trump is heading west to Arizona, as he looks to stabilize his campaign, which continues to struggle to recalibrate nearly two months after Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Although Harris' team said she's willing to do another debate, the Republican candidate has waffled.

Only a handful of battleground states will decide the outcome of the election. And North Carolina is one of them.

Democrats haven't won North Carolina's electoral votes since 2008, when President Barack Obama was elected for the first time. However, Trump's 2020 margin of victory of 1.3 percentage points was his narrowest win of any state that year, and Democrats hope that North Carolina's growing and diversifying population will give them an edge this time.

Harris' campaign said Thursday's trip would be her ninth to the state this year, and recent polls show a tight race. More than two dozen combined campaign offices — supporting Harris and the rest of the party's candidates — have been opened, and popular Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is one of her top surrogates.

Republicans have been confident about Trump’s chances in the state, and the former president held rallies there in August.

Registered independents are the state’s largest voting bloc and are usually key to determining outcomes in statewide elections. A state Supreme Court ruling this week affirming that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must be removed from North Carolina ballots could bring additional votes Trump’s way given Kennedy’s endorsement.

The state's Republican Party has dismissed concerns that a poor showing by its gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, could harm the electoral chances of other party candidates, including Trump.