Trump Verdict Strengthens GOP Resolve in Battleground States

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump Tower in New York City on May 31, 2024. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Republican Party leaders in battleground states aren’t deterred by former President Donald Trump’s New York conviction; if anything, they are primed for political combat.

Vonne Andring, senior adviser for the Pennsylvania GOP, told The Epoch Times the state party is hearing massive outrage, concern for the United States, and “unmitigated determination” to save the country.

“This election-season sham trial has emboldened our people more than ever to rescue America from the grips of those that exploit and abuse its power,” Ms. Andring said. “American justice has long demanded that its practitioners avoid not just impropriety, but the very air of it. Today the air is filled with the thick black smoke of American justice burning—and every sober, sane, honest American is filled with purpose, and a complete understanding of what absolutely must take place this November, if this exceptional nation is to be saved.”

Michigan

Michigan GOP Chairman Pete Hoekstra told The Epoch Times that Michiganders will see through the politics of the New York trial and support President Trump in November, saying he’s the only one fighting for the people.

“From day one, this politically charged trial was rigged against President Trump,” Mr. Hoekstra said in an email. “Brought by a corrupt, far-left district attorney in one of the most liberal cities in the country, this sham trial has been widely disregarded by legal experts. It’s meant to be a distraction from the real issues at play—the issues that Biden knows he’s losing on with Michigan voters—like the economy, the attack on our automobile industry, and the weakness of our Southern Border.”

A Michigan GOP spokesperson noted that Republicans have a compelling story for Wolverine State voters, pointing to state inflation, up 19.5 percent.

The Michigan GOP is working closely with the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign to bolster his success in November through get-out-the-vote efforts, according to Victoria LaCivita, Team Trump Michigan communications director.

“We are not going to provide specific metrics for the national program or in Michigan because it would be like asking the University of Michigan to share their playbook with Ohio State before the big game,” Ms. LaCivita told The Epoch Times.

Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona

While Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming didn’t respond to a request for comment, he announced support for President Trump on social media, saying the Department of Justice has been weaponized against the former president by President Joe Biden and his supporters and that he looks forward to welcoming 50,000 people to Milwaukee for the Republican convention, to nominate President Trump and “take America back.”

“There are a lot of banana republics that are jealous of the United States’ court system today,” Mr. Schimming said.

Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon released a statement calling the jury’s decision “preordained by a partisan judge and prosecutor” who have damaged public confidence in the criminal justice system.

“Republicans should not have to fear being in jurisdictions that elect Democrats who will prosecute them for the crime of being Republican, but that is what has happened,” Mr. McKoon’s statement said. “This has always been about stopping Republicans from retaking the White House under the leadership of Donald Trump.”

Mr. McKoon predicted that the guilty verdict will make President Trump stronger because it highlights the politicization undermining the justice system that could accelerate if not stopped.

“Georgia Republicans fully stand behind Donald Trump and we are undeterred in the stakes being raised by these Democrats who have placed their party over their country,” Mr. McKoon said, adding that as a result of the verdict, the GOP will only work harder to get President Trump elected.

The Arizona Republican Party also released a statement, saying it unequivocally condemns the conviction of President Trump.

“This trial was a disgrace, and the entire world stands witness to a desperate regime suppressing political opposition through an abuse of the U.S. justice system,” the statement reads.

Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda said the state party stands resolutely behind President Trump.

“The Arizona Republican Party will not waver in our fight to uphold justice and ensure that political opposition is not silenced through judicial overreach,” she said.

Most party leaders said they believe that President Trump will be vindicated in the appeal process.