Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said that without a win in North Carolina, it would be “very difficult” for former President Trump and himself to win this fall's general election.
“If you just look at the Electoral College map, it's very difficult for us to win unless we win North Carolina.” Vance told reporters: “We're very pleased,” he said after hearing from the state on Saturday.
Vance said he and Trump were likely to win in rural areas of the state, but that voters needed to show up to the polls and “we know what we have to do.” He criticized Vice President Harris and her policies for “failing North Carolina.”
Vance's comments came shortly after The Hill's decision desk headquarters changed the North Carolina race to a close one.
The Tar Heel State was once seen as a sure bet for Trump to win, but since the start of Harris' campaign it has been viewed as a battleground.
The vice president held two rallies this week in Charlotte and Greensboro just days before Vance's visit. The focus on North Carolina shows how eager each party is to win the state's 16 electoral votes.
Polls show Harris leading Trump in North Carolina by 0.1 percentage point, with a Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday showing the race so close that neither candidate is expected to win.
Since President Biden left office and Harris became the nominee, the election campaign has intensified, with Harris' approval ratings surpassing Biden's in several key battleground states.
Just before Biden dropped out of the race, Trump was leading Biden by 4.9 percentage points in North Carolina.
Ballots will begin being mailed to North Carolina voters on Sept. 24, later than the original Sept. 6 date, after independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and sought to remove his name from the ballot to help Trump in key states.
