Politics

Trump Endorses Congresswoman, Says He Needs Her Help Securing Border … There’s Just One Problem [VIDEO]

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Phillip Stucky Political Reporter
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Donald Trump has officially thrown his weight behind what might now be the strangest race for a seat in Congress.

A Trump robocall released Saturday touts Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina’s 2nd district as someone who will work to defeat ISIS, secure the border, and work to improve jobs in the district. Rep. George Holding, her challenger and fellow incumbent, found himself in a bitter primary fight with Ellmers due to a recent Federal Court-ordered redistricting in North Carolina.

Trump says Ellmers would be tough on the border, but her record says differently.

Within hours of Trump’s endorsement, The Conservative Review dubbed Ellmers “aggressively open borders,” and attacked Trump for not being involved in supporting candidates with actual conservative records. Ellmers’ campaign website has a page devoted to her plan on immigration, but the plan only involves funding law enforcement officials, and fails to say anything regarding immigration policy.

The race in NC is the first time two sitting congressmen have faced each other since 2012, and it is in a completely different district than either candidate is used to. Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the redistricting of North Carolina, and now both candidates are facing bitter primary rivalry that will end in the Primary vote held this Tuesday. The primary race is well funded, with almost one million dollars spent so far in the race. A majority of that money has been spent by Americans for Prosperity, an issue-based interest group in their support for Holding.

The last minute push by Trump and Ellmers is almost an act of desperation. In the only poll published in the race, 74 percent of likely voters identified themselves as some degree of “conservative.”  52 percent of likely voters stated they viewed Ellmers as “moderate” or “liberal.” Due to the high importance the voters in the district place on “conservatism,” the race will be an advanced test of the “conservative v. Trump” plot that has been developing in national headlines for the past year.

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