Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said it would be “very difficult” for him and former President Trump to win the general election this fall if they don’t win North Carolina.
“If you look at the Electoral College map … it’s really hard for us to win unless we take North Carolina,” Vance told reporters from the state on Saturday. “I’m very happy about that.”
Vance said he and Trump are likely to win rural parts of the state, but voters need to show up and “we know what 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 HQ changed the race in North Carolina to a two-on-one matchup.
Tarheel, once considered a surefire Trump win, is now seen as a battleground since Harris’s campaign began.
The vice president held two rallies this week, in Charlotte and Greensboro, days before Vance’s visit. The interest in North Carolina shows that each party wants to win the state’s 16 electoral votes.
Polls show Harris leading Trump by 0.1 percentage point in North Carolina, a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday said, adding that the race is too close to favor either candidate.
Since President Biden left office and Harris became the nominee, the race has become more competitive, with her polling rates outpacing Biden’s in several key battleground states.
Just before Biden dropped out of the race, Trump was ahead of 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 tried to get his name off the ballot in a key state to help Trump.
