Local GOP and conservative group leaders tell The Federalist that the Republican National Committee ( RNC ) appears to have little involvement in on-the-ground operations in key battleground states despite former president Donald Trump narrowly outperforming President Joe Biden. They expressed enthusiasm, nevertheless, that the RNC will step up its efforts and suggested it’s “typical” for the RNC not to have its surface game going until about today.
Grassroots institutions are targeting important states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Texas to strengthen “election operations at the managerial level well before Election Day”, director Josh Findlay of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Elections Protection Project told The Federalist.  ,
Findlay touted the parties ‘ “huge successes” throughout battleground state with regard to drop box protection, absentee ballot methods, observer access and absent running centers. The RNC does n’t seem too involved despite the work being done to elect Republicans on the ground, despite grassroots leaders’ hope that wo n’t last for very long.  ,
Findlay said Michael Whatley, the chairman of the RNC,” will have the necessary infrastructure in place to secure the future election.”
According to Findlay,” I have worked with Chairman Michael Whatley frequently in the past, and he is aware of the importance that gathering plays in making certain elections run smoothly.” The political parties have the most resources to “recruit, station, and change the large numbers of ballot workers and poll watchers needed for election season” while grassroots “excel at identifying regional election integrity issues and fighting for solutions to those issues”
Arizona
Trump lost Arizona by 10, 457 votes in 2020 after winning it in 2016 by 91, 234 votes. It’s key to his reelection. However, grassroots activists ‘ efforts to ensure a Trump victory appear to be lacking in significant national party support.
” The work is being made very actively on the ground. We have over 15, 000 grassroots activists in the state”, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club Scot Mussi told The Federalist. According to Mussi, the organization is focused on outreach and get-out-the-vote campaigns, particularly in Hispanic and faith-based communities.
” This is a total team effort here in Arizona”, Mussi said. ” There are multiple organizations, on the ground here in Arizona, engaged in these efforts”.
So far, however, the RNC does n’t seem to be one of them. Mussi expressed his hope for the RNC’s increased involvement in the general election, noting that the party had a sizable following in 2016 but that “we’d love to see any increase in engagement from the RNC at this point.”
According to him,” I think many swing states can speak to this — it seems like the Left is pouring millions of dollars into Arizona into their own ground game and, at least from what we’re seeing on the ground, there is the same emphasis from a lot of these national groups, and that includes the RNC,” he said. We anticipate that they will arrive and be well-prepared to support many of these initiatives.
The RNC and The Arizona Republican Party both declined to respond to inquiries about their state involvement.
Pennsylvania
Trump lost Pennsylvania in 2020 by 81, 660 votes after winning the state in 2016 by 44, 292. In November, grassroots activists are gearing up to retake control of the state.
The Sentinel Action Fund ( SAF ) is one of those organizations focused on turning out “low- propensity voters” via absentee ballots, early and day- of voting with its year- round operation, SAF President Jessica Anderson told the Federalist.
Anderson explained that SAF, which is focused on electing Republicans on the ballot in Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, has also collaborated with Keystone, the super-PAC for Dave McCormick, the governor of Pennsylvania.
When questioned about whether the RNC and SAF have collaborated in Pennsylvania, Anderson responded that she was unsure of how to respond because she did n’t believe their operations are yet operational.
I have to anticipate that they will establish a robust office and work with them as the RNC sort of intensifies its efforts after the changeover of their leadership, which Lara Trump has done, Anderson said.
Erie County GOP Chairman Tom Eddy responded to a question from The Federalist about whether he had seen anyone from the RNC on the ground locally.
The county has long been a bellwether in the presidential election, with the winning candidate also taking home the general.
During the 2016 race, in which Trump won the county by fewer than 2, 000 votes, his team set up an office in Erie County that brought in outside resources and had 10- 12 people canvassing each Saturday, Eddy told The Federalist. Trump lost the county in 2020 by fewer than 1, 500 votes.
” I’d give anything to have a few people on the ground here helping”, Eddy told The Federalist, adding, however, he thinks” this is typical” for RNC involvement at this point in the game.
Eddy claims that the state party and the RNC collaborate frequently with counties. A representative from the RNC told Eddy that three or four staffers were being sought out for the area starting in the middle of May, but The Pennsylvania Republican Party did not respond to requests for comment.
Eddy remarked that the Democrats ‘ current canvassing efforts should be credited to them “on the ground here in Erie.”
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party, in coordination with Biden’s campaign, has set up more than a dozen offices across Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star. According to reports, the offices will “host training events for volunteers, canvassing kickoffs, and volunteer recruitment events.” Democrats have also placed offices in swing counties, like Erie, to reach voters, according to the report.
The RNC referred to poll watchers during the primary race when asked about their on-the-ground operations in Pennsylvania. According to Gates McGavick, a senior adviser to Whatley,” The RNC has worked closely with the PA GOP and county parties across Pennsylvania to place trained poll watchers on the ground in each of the 67 counties of the Keystone State for Primary Day.”
Claire Zunk, the director of RNC Election Integrity Communications, sent an RNC press release detailing the organization’s plans to recruit “volunteer lawyers” and primary-day poll watchers. The release also said the RNC “activated more than 2, 200 poll watchers” across the state. The Federalist emailed the publication for more details, but they were not able to provide any. The RNC also did n’t give details about what it is doing on the ground between now and November to increase voter registration, support mail- in ballot initiatives, and increase voter outreach.
North Carolina
Jim Womack, president of the North Carolina Election Integrity Team, worries that Biden’s state may benefit from hiring more than just the RNC hirings:” The activists and activists ‘ groups across the state do the real groundwork.”
Womack estimates there are “easily 75- 100” grassroots organizations working statewide to increase “neighborhood level organizational activity”, making North Carolina’s local efforts “one of Trump’s strongest states”. Womack cited activist organizations that are not affiliated with the RNC as performing “quality work” such as the Asheville Tea Party, the Conservative Coalition of North Carolina, the Liberty Party, and the Grassroots Government.
While he does n’t know the RNC’s plans for North Carolina, Womack says he hopes it will be” well- resourced” since RNC Chairman Whatley comes from the state. In the 2020 contest, the RNC sent regional representatives” that were like deputy campaign managers”. They distributed campaign materials and training.
Since Trump was automatically the nominee in the 2020 primary, Womack claimed that there was n’t as much of a push as it was this year. The NCGOP did not respond to a request for comment or provide any information about their state-wide efforts.
A” 100, 000 person strong election integrity program” made up of “volunteers and attorneys” was announced by the RNC on April 19, but the RNC did not respond when The Federalist inquired how many of those 100, 000 people had been hired so far.
The Federalist’s election correspondent, Brianna Lyman.
