SELMA – Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is no stranger to North Carolina this year.
“I think North Carolina is the state I’ve been in the most besides my home state of Michigan, I really love the people here and its great to be back,” McDaniel said in an interview Wednesday.
McDaniel is back in the state as part of the Women for Trump bus tour of the state.
The tour has made a total five stops on the day, and McDaniel said enthusiasm was palpable at each location.
“People are fired up and energized to vote for the President, Thom Tillis, and Dan Forest,” McDaniel said, saying she feels momentum that wasn’t there even in 2016.
“We want to make sure North Carolinians understand that Joe Biden wants to raise taxes out of the gate, crush the economy, get rid of energy independence. President Trump is already pulling us out of this pandemic and pulling our economy out. We’re on the road to recovery. He’s done it once and can do it again.”
When asked about the potential impact of the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, McDaniel said it was another example of a ‘promise kept’ by the President.
“When he was first a candidate, people didn’t know if he would put rule of law justices on the Supreme Court. He has delivered at every level,” McDaniel said. “Joe Biden is now saying he would fundamentally transform that third branch of government, turning it into a political body that is not accountable to the American people, and that is motivating a lot of our voters.”
Those voters are showing up at the polls, too. The N.C. State Board of Elections said Wednesday that over 50% of registered voters have cast ballots in the 2020 general election.
McDaniel said the Trump Victory program, the combined grassroots effort of President Trump’s re-election campaign and the RNC, has been assembled over the past two years. She said it was something that takes time to build and “can’t be put up in a month” and succeed.
“We’ve outregistered Democrats in states like North Carolina and its helping us go door-to-door talking to people about the importance of the election,” said McDaniel of the campaign’s field program. “Democrats put forward a lead in absentee which is typical, but now Republicans are closing in (during early in-person voting) and it’s going to be the difference-maker, along with a great candidate like President Trump.”
McDaniel also commented on the state’s expensive U.S. Senate race, saying that “Thom Tillis is locked in a tight race against someone who is hiding from the voters,” referring to Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham.
“He tried to run a campaign on integrity and now is running a campaign saying, ‘I’m not going to talk to the voters of North Carolina,’” she added.
She also said that the unprecedented amount of money flowing into states like N.C. from New York and California is the Democrats’ way to buy the Senate seats “so they don’t have to campaign in the state ever again,” pointing to liberal activists who wish to abolish the Electoral College and move to a national popular vote. McDaniel said the Democrats running in tossup races aren’t being honest with the voters.
McDaniel also criticized Gov. Roy Cooper, telling NSJ she wished she could have held the RNC in Charlotte as originally planned.
“It was heartbreaking to have staff living here, and we spent a lot of time here. The governor showed he cared more about politics and less than bringing an international spotlight to North Carolina and the city of Charlotte,” said McDaniel of the months-long battle between Gov. Cooper’s policies and the party.
Finally, McDaniel was confident of a victory in the state. “When we win North Carolina again, that’s going to bode well for the President getting elected to a second term,” she said.
