Here’s some vice presidential speculation for you: Rep. Renee Ellmers as the running mate for Donald Trump.
Need convincing? Donald Trump’s unfavorables with women are through the roof. He needs a female running mate to bring them down a little. Very few women in Congress have endorsed Donald Trump’s candidacy. In fact, Ms. Ellmers is the only one. Trump also wants an “insider” running mate, someone with good relations on Capitol Hill. Not too many fit that combination more than Congresswoman Ellmers.
Not only does Trump need someone like Ellmers, Ellmers needs Trump and has been trying to win over Trump voters, even writing a glowing profile for him in Time Magazine. And just a few days ago she tried to depict her primary opponent Congressman George Holding as “low-energy” on a Facebook post. Ellmers, amazingly, has become a loyal advocate of Trump, and we know that the Donald values loyalty.
Then there’s North Carolina. It’s a must-win swing state. By putting a North Carolinian on the ticket, Trump could put the state safely in the red column, allowing him to focus on even more pivotal states like Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. Another check for Ms. Ellmers.
Trump and Ellmers are also ideological matches, at least on one issue – women’s health. They’re both pro-life but clearly want to take care of women. Because of that, they’ve taken a lot of heat from pro-life groups, who don’t like Trump for his embrace of Planned Parenthood, and who don’t like Ellmers for derailing the bill banning partial birth abortion. A Trump/Ellmers ticket would be a signal to suburban women that the GOP is moving toward the middle on the abortion issue.
There’s just one little problem: Ellmers is running for reelection this year and can’t run for both offices at the same time. In fact, she probably won’t even make it to the general election. At least, that was before Dr. Greg Brannon entered the fray. Polling apparently shows Brannon splitting the conservative vote with Holding, giving Ellmers a fighting chance at victory. If she wins next month, it will prove that embracing Trumpism is a winning strategy. It would probably put Ms. Ellmers squarely on Trump’s radar screen.
Regardless of whether or not she wins her primary next month, Ellmers would be an unconventional pick. But that just makes it even more likely that Trump will ultimately pick her. Don’t we expect, after all, for him to pick someone unconventional? For that reason, keep a close eye on the Ellmers/Holding/Brannon battle in the 2nd district. It could have national implications.
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
As a Vietnam vet who has stayed aware of the thousands of women and children killed by American weaponry over the years, and today for that matter, I think I will vote for an isolationist, inane, Donald Trump, before I will vote for a neocon Clinton. There is really no choice here. So an entertaining VP pick would at the least entertain. That seems to be the only reason the real power lets us have our delusion of a democracy.
It WOULD be a match made in a very special corner of hell.
Please proceed, Donald.
With Trump, everything has to be YUUUGE and spectacular. Elmers would be small ball. Not a splashy enough pick for Trump.
I think you may be on the right track with the idea of a woman as the VP nominee though. Republicans seem to think that a candidate simply having ovaries will persuade women voters regardless of other factors like issue positions or actual qualifications or ability (the inexplcable choice of Sarah Palin comes to mind).
God knows that with Trump’s history of misogyny and the over the top misogynistic rhetoric he’s been spewing for months now he needs a miracle to close the gender gap in any meaningful way. Personally, I don’t think tapping the Virgin Mary as his VP would make much of a difference there. He’s cooked.
The question you have to ask yourself is who would want the Republican nomination for Vice President on a Trump ticket? Someone hoping to raise their profile in the losing effort in order to position themselves for their own presidential run in 2020? But then you get the taint of Trump all over you. You have to admit that there is a tremendous downside to being associated with Trump.
Historically it isn’t a solid path either. Not since FDR ran unsuccessfully for Vice President in 1920 and then got himself elected President in 1932 has that path worked out.
What Trump obviously needs is a serious and experienced running mate. Someone who would distract from his own obvious lack of qualifications. The guy will be the first major party nominee in our entire history who has absolutely zero political or military experience (unlike Trump, this veteran doesn’t regard attending a military school for rich boys as the same as active military service).
But who fitting this description has anything to gain by running on a ticket with Trump? Whoever he picks I’m sure it will be entertaining. But not truly amusing. This ceased being funny a long time ago. Partisanship aside, I never want to see a crackpot get a major party nomination. Something unforeseen can happen and then you have a crackpot president. Which is terrible for all of us. As wonderful as Trump as the Republican nominee will be for the Democratic Party this November I just can’t be happy about it. This stuff is just too serious and too important.
Astute post. And, yes, it is no longer amusing. The possible damage to this country is incalculable.
Trump “taking care of women” ? Just because he does not take the most extreme positions on abortion? Aside from the fact that no woman I know thinks that is sufficient for a man to be considered supportive of women, who knows what Trump will be doing or saying in a few weeks? I am not sure even Trump knows. As for who will sacrifice themselves to Trump’s ambitions, perhaps Ellmers might be willing. However, a lot of people now ask one basic question about a VP. Is he/she qualified to be President? I doubt many would answer “Yes” to that question relative to Ellmers. Even less so given that a lot of GOP folks who would seem to know her best, i.e., those in her district appear unlikely to return her to office.
Renee Ellmers would be an interesting choice for running mate, but The Donald needs a running mate who would add legitimacy to his candidacy. Ellmers had a few Palin moments (the bad kind) when she suggested that the menfolk use simple words and less math to explain stuff that the ladies find confusing. Ellmers has the same anti-science approach to real world problems, but unlike Palin, she does not bring the potential for electrifying the Republican base.
Ellmers’ Republican opponents are already running nasty television ads trashing her. Even though the ads are both unfair and dishonest, the ads will drive up her negatives in her district.
When Palin came onto the national stage, she benefited from being a complete unknown. She introduced herself to the GOP with a tough speech, a stew of raw meat, antagonism toward the president and Tea Party anti-government rhetoric. As the campaign stretched out, McCain and the rest of the GOP learned that a huge mistake had been made. Palin was not knowledgeable and she was unteachable. Ellmers adds less than that to Trump’s bid for chief executive. McCain was an experienced legislator, a war hero and man widely admired on both sides of the aisle. Palin added sizzle.
Trump is a basket case. He knows next to nothing about governing, is a walking contradiction and is extremely unpopular with vast voter segments. A running mate will hardly cure all that is wrong with his campaign, but a plain vanilla airhead will not boost his numbers. Ellmers is unknown, unpopular with her own party, likely to lose reelection, and a target of the Koch Brothers now. She will not send the Republican Convention into paroxysms of red state fervor with a big speech.
Ellmers will not provide Trump with the gravitas he needs to assuage concerns that his administration would be unable to govern due to the lengthy on-the-job training he will need – if he chooses to pay attention at all.
Renee Ellmers would be an interesting choice for running mate, but The Donald needs a running mate who would add legitimacy to his candidacy. Ellmers had a few Palin moments (the bad kind) when she suggested that the menfolk use simple words and less math to explain stuff that the ladies find confusing. Ellmers has the same anti-science approach to real world problems, but unlike Palin, she does not bring the potential for electrifying the Republican base.
Ellmers’ Republican opponents are already running nasty television ads trashing her. Even though the ads are both unfair and dishonest, the ads will drive up her negatives in her district.
When Palin came onto the national stage, she benefited from being a complete unknown. She introduced herself to the GOP with a tough speech, a stew of raw meat, antagonism toward the president and Tea Party anti-government rhetoric. As the campaign stretched out, McCain and the rest of the GOP learned that a huge mistake had been made. Palin was not knowledgeable and she was unteachable. Ellmers adds less than that to Trump’s bid for chief executive. McCain was an experienced legislator, a war hero and man widely admired on both sides of the aisle. Palin added sizzle.
Trump is a basket case. He knows next to nothing about governing, is a walking contradiction and is extremely unpopular with vast voter segments. A running mate will hardly cure all that is wrong with his campaign, but a plain vanilla airhead will not boost his numbers. Ellmers is unknown, unpopular with her own party, likely to lose reelection, and a target of the Koch Brothers now. She will not send the Republican Convention into paroxysms of red state fervor with a big speech.
Ellmers will not provide Trump with the gravitas he needs to assuage concerns that his administration would be unable to govern due to the lengthy on-the-job training he will need – if he chooses to pay attention at all.