October 06, 2016, 05:56 pm

RNC confident in early vote totals



The Republican National Committee is touting its confidence in early voting totals, needling Democrats for what it views as "concerning trends" in key states.

While the Hillary Clinton campaign is leading Democrats' efforts on the ground, the RNC has taken the reins for the GOP, thanks in part to a lack of investment by the Donald Trump campaign. RNC political director Chris Carr said the reliance on the RNC apparatus and the fact it’s ”working hand-in-glove with the Trump campaign" is a major benefit for Republicans.

"The fact that the GOP has been in the field permanently for years means we've had a tremendous head start on the Clinton campaign and are still in the lead," he told reporters on a Thursday afternoon call.

"Before Clinton had staff focused on the general election, the RNC staff, organizers and volunteers had tallied well over 1.2 million hours of organizing."

Carr went on to detail what he views as promising trends for Republicans in battleground states -- specifically Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina.

He touted an 84,000 request advantage in absentee ballots out of Pennsylvania and a 59,000 advantage in Michigan, while noting that the party is also ahead in North Carolina.

He said Democratic absentee ballot requests are 51 percent lower in Iowa than in 2012, and added that Republicans are "gaining ground" in Pennsylvania and have narrowed the absentee gap there to about 1,000.

When asked which states he felt strongest about, Carr specifically noted the gains in Nevada, Florida and Pennsylvania as compared to 2012.

The optimism stands in contrast to comments Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook made just hours earlier.

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, Mook said the Clinton campaign is hoping for an "insurmountable lead" during the early voting period in Nevada, North Carolina and Florida. He specifically noted historic turnout among Latino and African-American voters, voting blocs that typically go blue.

If successful, wins in those three states would significantly narrow Trump's path to the White House.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...ly-vote-totals