North Carolina
Give Trump North Carolina’s Electoral Votes Early? House Rep. Harris Calling Race Before Vote’s Even Tallied
Topline
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, suggested North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature should declare former President Donald Trump the winner of the state’s 16 electors before votes are finalized, giving credence to the far-flung scheme that drew bipartisan rebuke on Capitol Hill.
Newly elected House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., speaks with Roll Call in the … [+]
Key Facts
Harris said Thursday during a Republican Party dinner in Talbot County, Maryland, that it “makes a lot of sense” to convene the legislature early to certify electoral votes for Trump before they’re finalized, considering that Hurricane Helene may have disenfranchised voters in some counties ravaged by the storm, many of which are heavily Republican.
Harris was responding to a suggestion from pro-Trump activist Ivan Raiklin advocating for North Carolina and other states to certify their election results before they’re finalized “so that those states guarantee that no illegals are voting, no illegal drop boxes, no illegal signature non verifications going on,” he said during the Thursday meeting, according to a video of the remarks he posted to his X account.
Harris suggested the plan was “legitimate” in North Carolina, given the devastation from Helene, but questioned whether it would work in other states.
Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., chair of the House Administration committee tasked with overseeing election processes, blasted the plan as a “blood-chilling scheme,” in a statement to Politico, adding “extreme Republican leaders are openly advocating that North Carolina’s electoral votes be given to Donald Trump without an election.”
Contra
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told reporters Friday he hadn’t heard about the plans discussed in Talbot County but that “it makes no sense whatsoever to prejudge the election outcome. And that is a misinformed view of what is happening on the ground in North Carolina, bless his heart.”
Big Number
16. That’s how many electoral votes belong to North Carolina, one of the seven swing states that will decide the election. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a dead heat there, with Five Thirty Eight’s polling average showing Trump leading by 1.3 points.
Key Background
Trump and his allies appear to be gearing up to contest the results of the 2024 election if Trump loses. While Trump has said he hasn’t seen any signs of fraud so far in the election process and has encouraged his supporters to vote early, he has also said Harris can’t win unless Democrats cheat. Republicans have already filed a slew of election-related legal challenges this cycle
Further Reading
How Courts Are Impacting 2024 Election: Court Blocks Virginia’s Last-Minute Voter Roll Purge (Forbes)
Here’s How Trump And His Allies Are Teeing Up Potential Election Loss Challenges (Forbes)
North Carolina 2024 Trump-Harris Polls: Trump Leads By 2 Points In 2 New Surveys (Forbes)