Vice President Kamala Harris is within striking distance of taking two major swing states, which would spell doom for Donald Trump’s campaign, according to a former Republican National Committee chair.
The Democratic nominee could potentially pick up North Carolina and Florida, instantly winning the election, according to top Republican Michael Steele, who headed the party’s committee from 2009 to 2011.
If Harris won North Carolina and Florida, along with every other non-swing state that President Joe Biden won in 2020, she would receive 272 Electoral College votes, enough to win the election, even if former President Donald Trump won every other swing state. With 16 votes from Georgia as well, Harris would have 288 votes.
Speaking to MSNBC on Sunday, Steele said that several traditionally red states could fall to Harris in November, also highlighting Georgia, which has been a top priority for both candidates.
Michael Steele at Politicon 2017 at Pasadena Convention Center on July 29, 2017, in Pasadena, California. He said Kamala Harris could potentially pick up North Carolina and Florida.
Michael Schwartz/Getty Images
“This coalition being created right now by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is not just one to watch,” Steele said. “It will be one that the history books will study, when she takes this thing to victory. Florida and North Carolina will fall, along with Georgia.”
Steele attributed the flips to his party’s hardline stance on abortion, which he believes could alienate traditional Republican voters in the swing states, especially women.
“Abortion is in play. What that does is it draws in center-right voters that would otherwise be aligned with the Republican party. That falls away because of the heavy-handed nature in which Republicans want to control women’s bodies. The Right is taking away rights, and that doesn’t sit well.”
The first Black chair of the RNC, Steele has been a longtime critic of Trump, refusing to endorse him in both 2016 and 2020, and he branded him as a racist in 2018 over the former president’s description of “sh*thole” countries.
Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign for a response to Steele’s comments.
North Carolina has been frequently highlighted as a point of interest in November. Despite strong numbers in the traditionally Republican state while Joe Biden was the candidate, Trump has been struggling to maintain the lead there after the Harris campaign made it a major focus. Current polling puts the Tar Heel state as a neck-and-neck race.
The loss of Florida, while significantly more unlikely (Trump maintains a healthy lead there), would make for a quick end to the contest on election night.
Having previously been the all-important swing state in past elections, Florida is now a necessity for the GOP in presidential elections, with 30 electoral votes. A Harris win there would mean Trump would have to take every other swing state except Nevada to still win the election overall.
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