For Rep. Richard Hudson (R., N.C.), 2024 is a year filled with opportunity for Republicans, from Maine to Alaska. We sat down with the National Republican Congressional Committee chair to discuss his plans to defend Republicans, defeat Democrats, and get his favorite candidates elected.
While all eyes are on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this November, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is focused on protecting and expanding the narrowest House majority in America’s history, its chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson (R., N.C.), told the Washington Reporter.
In order to keep the House red, Hudson said the NRCC will have to keep up its fundraising efforts. And, he told the Reporter, the NRCC is in a great place financially following the felony convictions against President Donald Trump.
“Since the verdict, we’ve raised well over $1 million online,” he said. “We shattered our one-day fundraising record. Previously, our best day was the first full day of Speaker Mike Johnson’s speakership, where we raised $175,000. On the first day, that day of the verdict, we raised over $300,000 and in about five days, we’ve topped $1 million,” which came from an influx of voters that included 32 percent of first-time NRCC donors.
Awash with cash, Hudson’s plans, unsurprisingly, start with his home state of North Carolina, where he is already predicting three GOP flips in the 6th, 13th, and 14th Districts. In the state’s 1st District, Hudson is optimistic that military veteran Laurie Buckhout can take on freshmen Rep. Don Davis and help the GOP net four seats in the Tarheel State.
“Laurie Buckhout is one of our best candidates in the country in North Carolina’s 1st District,” Hudson told the Reporter. “It’s a district I think Trump’s going to carry. And Laurie is a retired colonel in the army, she is a cyber expert, she led troops in combat [and she] can win that seat.”
It’s unsurprising that Hudson and the GOP are placing such a strong focus on North Carolina. The new leadership at the Republican National Committee (RNC) has strong ties to the state. The party’s new chairman, Michael Whatley, previously ran the North Carolina GOP, and his co-chair, Lara Trump, is a native North Carolinian.
To Hudson,”it’s exciting [] as a North Carolinian.” The NRCC chair has known the Whatley “since we were in college together, and I have tremendous respect for Lara Trump. It’s important for me, because whether I like it or not, the RNC is my partner, and having a very good, functioning RNC that’s raising money and doing the kind of get out the vote activities and the ballot security initiatives they are doing makes them an excellent partner for us.”
There are plenty of Republican targets outside of North Carolina. Another target-ripe state is Pennsylvania, where Hudson sees potential for three down-ballot flips. Hudson said that Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie have the best odds at beating Reps. Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild, respectively. He even sees a path to victory for Rob Mercuri in Pennsylvania’s 17th District, while conceding that the Pittsburgh-based district is more of an uphill climb.
“This time around,” Hudson said, “Trump’s going to win Pennsylvania. We’ve got a stronger Senate candidate Pennsylvania. The dynamics are going to be in our favor this time around. So I think we’ve got great opportunity there for pickups.”
One race where Hudson’s personal preferences shine through is in the Northeast. The NRCC chair, an avid NASCAR fan, is particularly excited about Trump-endorsed state Rep. Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, who is seeking to oust Rep. Jared Golden in Maine.
“Austin Theriault is a great candidate,” Hudson said, cautioning that victory is far from assured down-ballot even though Trump is likely to carry the district, and its electoral vote, in November. “Our problem, our challenge, in Maine is, obviously, you got ranked choice voting, but then you got Jared Golden, who’s a veteran, has a tattoo, drives a pickup truck, but then he comes to Washington and votes 85 percent with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 90 percent with Joe Biden.”
While Golden has taken advantage of Maine’s ranked choice voting system, Hudson thinks this time will be different. Theriault is “a longtime Maine resident, [his] family’s got a long history there, he has a French last name, which is about as important in Maine as it is in Louisiana in politics.” And, even more concerningly for Democrats, “Golden has come out for some gun control measures in the last year, which put him at odds with the people of Maine.”
Elsewhere in New England, Hudson singled out George Logan, who has been consistently outraising Rep. Jahana Hayes (D., Ct.), in a rematch of the 2022 cycle. On the West Coast, “we’ve got another Trump district,” the NRCC chair noted. “Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is the incumbent, and we’ve got a primary. So not sure which one of those candidates emerges, either a veteran, Joe Kent, or a woman, Leslie Lewallen, and we think either one’s going to run strong.”
Even in California, where there is plenty of defense the GOP has to do, Hudson is optimistic that the party can oust Democratic incumbents like Rep. Josh Harder. Hudson is “really excited” about Stockton mayor Kevin Lincoln, who is “the very successful Republican mayor of a Democrat city in Stockton, which dominates this district.” Hudson also urged Republicans to not forget about Alaska’s House seat, “the most Republican seat held by a Democrat.” This cycle, the GOP recruited the state’s lieutenant governor, Nancy Dahlstrom, who is a “very strong candidate for us.” Earlier this week, Speaker Mike Johnson also singled Dahlstrom out to the Reporter as one of his favorite candidates.
Defeating an incumbent is never easy, and Hudson is quick to point out that a wave of Democratic retirements is adding further fuel to the GOP’s fire. Look no further than California, where Democrats gifted the GOP its dream candidate in “DUI Dave Min,” who “got a DUI in a state vehicle last year.” Beyond Min’s criminal record, Republicans are excited that he won’t have the resources that outgoing Rep. Katie Porter had in this “R+2 district where Katie Porter spent $26 million” to narrowly win last cycle.
While both parties have seen a surge in retirements, not all retirements are created equal. “The mainstream press has enjoyed writing about Republican retirements,” Hudson said, yet “zero of those Republican retirements have been in competitive seats,” and “eight of those Democrat retirements have been in competitive seats so it’s a real problem for them.”
It’s not all going to be easy for Republicans, however. But Hudson is confident in Republicans who Democrats want to oust are ready for November. Looking specifically at the Empire State, he noted that “you’ve got four New Yorkers who are in districts that Biden carried last time, that we’ve got concerns for, but these are battle tested candidates,” referring to Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Michael Lawler, Brandon Williams, and Marc Molinaro.
However, Hudson praised the New Yorkers for doing “a very good job of working their districts, building strong brands. I think they’re gonna outperform the top ticket, and I feel good about it.” He even sees a silver lining for the GOP in New York, singling out former New York Police Department commander Alison Esposito as a rockstar candidate who can take out Rep. Pat Ryan — last cycle, Esposito carried the district when she was Lee Zeldin’s running mate.
While the economy, inflation, and border security remain top issues for voters in districts across the country, Hudson believes that the rise in anti-Semitic protests across America place Democrats squarely between a rock and a Hamas place. Beyond condemning the violent and often-illegal tent cities that occupied campuses across America as “disgusting example[s] of racism that the Democrats are really struggling with,” Hudson also tied the issue to Democratic candidates across the country and their funders.
Democrats are “taking money from the same people who are funding these protests, [and] vot[ing] to deny Israel access to munitions and supplies,” he said. Many of the competitive districts have major constituencies where Democratic complacency on Palestinian terrorism is poised to play poorly.
While Hudson boasts a near-encyclopedic knowledge of House districts and their PVIs, he isn’t slacking when it comes to bringing home the bacon, either, citing the “huge priority” of the recent MilCon/VA bill. His district is home to Fort Bragg, the largest army base in the world. Beyond scoring wins on issues like netting $378 billion for veterans programs, the recent bill had major conservative wins he cited, such as banning taxpayer funding of critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military.
Throughout his career, Hudson has seen politics from just about every vantage point — as a political staffer, as a campaign staffer, as a member of Congress, and now as Chair of the House Republicans’ campaign arm.
What is his advice for those looking to follow a path similar to his?
“I would encourage people to get involved, and encourage people to make sure that we leave the country better than we found it.”
Below is a transcript of the Reporter’s interview with NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Thanks so much for chatting, Chairman Hudson. Tell us about the Military Construction (MilCon) and Veterans Affairs bill.
Richard Hudson:
It’s a huge priority. I represent Fort Liberty, Fort Bragg, the largest army base in the world. We were able to get some real wins for our veterans and for our military in this bill, more than $378 billion towards programs for our veterans and service members.
In my district alone, we got money for our Special Forces facilities. We got an additional $4 million for a child development center. There’s enough need there that we really need two of these, but we’re getting one, and then we got money for barracks. We’re continuing to try to alleviate the housing crisis on our military base.
There’s a lot of good conservative wins. We ban the use of funds to promote critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. We stop taxpayer money being used for abortions and sex change operations, and we defend Second Amendment rights for our veterans. So there’s a lot of things to be happy about in that bill.
Washington Reporter:
President Donald Trump has now raised hundreds of millions of dollars off advertising his recent convictions. How has Trump’s recent news cycle played out for the NRCC on a House level?
Richard Hudson:
We’ve seen zero evidence of any kind of poll bump for Joe Biden. It remains to be seen what the impact is going to be on the election. But I think most people see this as a politically motivated sham trial.
We have seen record fundraising here at the NRCC. Fact, since the verdict, we’ve raised well over $1 million online. We shattered our one-day fundraising record. Previously, our best day was the first full day of Speaker Mike Johnson’s speakership, where we raised $175,000.
On the first day, that day of the verdict, we raised over $300,000 and in about five days, we’ve topped $1 million.
Washington Reporter:
Are you seeing a lot of enthusiasm, among the Trump campaign and new donors?
Richard Hudson:
Yes. Thirty-two percent of those donors were new donors to us, which is huge.
Washington Reporter:
What do you see as the most obvious key pickup opportunities this year that are almost lying there for Republicans’ taking?
Richard Hudson:
You’ve got open seats. Democrats have a real problem. There’s been a lot of retirements on both sides, but the Democrats have a real problem, and they’ve had retirements in eight total open seats that were held by Democrats that are now ripe for the taking for us. In addition to that, you got eight Trump seats that are occupied by, if you take out the open, five Trump seats left. So eight plus five are prime opportunities for us.
Washington Reporter:
Is it correct to say that retirements are actually more of a problem for Democrats than for Republicans?
Richard Hudson:
Absolutely. The mainstream press has enjoyed writing about Republican retirements. I think there’s 26 retirements on each side, but zero of those Republican retirements have been in competitive seats.
Eight of those Democrat retirements have been in competitive seats so it’s a real problem for them. Look at Elissa Slotkin’s district in Michigan’s 7th. Look at Dan Kildee up in Michigan’s 8th. Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s 7th. Katie Porter in California’s 47th where she spent $26 million last time to win by two points. And then the latest one is Annie Kuster up in New Hampshire’s 2nd and then there’s three in my home state with North Carolina, 14th, 13th, and 6th, where after redistricting, those incumbents decided not to run.
Washington Reporter:
Can you talk about candidate recruitment and which Republican candidates have particularly impressed you this cycle?
Richard Hudson:
Candidate quality is one of the most important factors, and so we really focused on this last year, and I can say we have one of the best recruitment classes we’ve ever had. We have men and women who don’t look or sound like a generic Republican. These are people that have really compelling life stories. They’re folks that unaffiliated and Democrat voters are going to take a second look at and we can win in places all over the country, from California, Oregon, all the way to Connecticut and Maine.
Washington Reporter:
You’re a NASCAR guy. Are you excited about Austin Theriault in Maine?
Richard Hudson:
Absolutely. Austin Theriault is a great candidate. Our problem, our challenge, in Maine is, obviously, you got ranked choice voting, but then you got Jared Golden, who’s a veteran, has a tattoo, drives a pickup truck, but then he comes to Washington and votes 85 percent with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 90 percent with Joe Biden. So he gets away with it. And our candidate the last couple cycles, Bruce Poliquin, fantastic member of Congress, but they spent a lot of money over multiple cycles, driving up his negatives, and so he really wasn’t able to lay a glove on Golden. But now we’ve got Austin Theriault, who’s a longtime Maine resident, family’s got a long history there, he has a French last name, which is about as important in Maine as it is in Louisiana in politics. Great guy. People love meeting him. He’s a state legislator now. He runs a business back in Maine. He’s just a fantastic character. And then Golden has come out for some gun control measures in the last year, which put him at odds with the people of Maine.
Washington Reporter:
New York is a big target for Democrats. They’re spending tens of millions of dollars there. What should Republicans do to make sure those seats stay red in November?
Richard Hudson:
New York’s an offensive opportunity for us, too. We’ve got Alison Esposito running in New York’s 18th. She’s a former NYPD precinct commander. She was Lee Zeldin’s running mate. She ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 and they carried this district. And we’ve got a freshman Democrat that really doesn’t have a lot to campaign on. I think New York is an opportunity for pickup for us there. But obviously you’ve got four New Yorkers who are in districts that Biden carried last time, that we’ve got concerns for, but these are battle tested candidates. They’ve done a very good job of working their districts, building strong brands. I think they’re gonna outperform the top ticket, and I feel good about it.
Washington Reporter:
You mentioned New York as an area where you’re, almost surprisingly, on offense. Are there other states that you can see between now and November emerging as offensive opportunities?
Richard Hudson:
I think you start in North Carolina, where we’ve picked up three already. And Laurie Buckhout is one of our best candidates in the country in North Carolina’s 1st District, we’ve got a freshman Democrat. It’s a district I think Trump’s going to carry. And Laurie is a retired colonel in the army, she is a cyber expert, she led troops in combat. She and her husband started a business when they got out of the military, very successful. She can win that seat, and give us net four coming out of North Carolina. Then you go north to Pennsylvania. We’ve got three really good pickup opportunities there particularly with Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th.
In the 8th, you’ve got a Trump district. Matt Cartwright is incumbent. He’s another guy who drives a pickup truck and acts like he’s one of us back home, but then his voting record doesn’t match. And our challenge in the past is we’ve had candidates move back into the district to run. This time, we’ve got a homegrown candidate in Rob Bresnahan. When he graduated high school, his family business was struggling back in 2008 with the economy, and so he went to a local college and then was CFO of his family business, ended up taking over the business, and growing it from 50 to 150 employees. He’s got deep roots in Northeast Pennsylvania. He is the right candidate. And then in the 7th District, we had a primary, but our candidate has emerged, Ryan Mackenzie. He’s a state legislator. Deep family roots in the district. This is a district where I think Trump won in 16, barely lost in 20, but we think he’s going to win it this time around. Susan Wild is the incumbent. That’s a great pickup opportunity for us. One district is a little tougher is over in the Pittsburgh area, with Pennsylvania 17th, Rob Mercuri is our candidate. He is a strong candidate, veteran, state legislator. Part of this district is in Pittsburgh, where they flipped a local seat to Republican for the first time in I don’t know how long, but I think there’s a real attitude there for change based on economy, crime, those kind of issues. Pennsylvania, real good shot. Pennsylvania two years ago was tough for us because that governor’s race was a blowout for the Democrats. I think John Fetterman is in the Senate because of the governor’s coattails. This time around, Trump’s going to win Pennsylvania. We’ve got a stronger Senate candidate Pennsylvania. The dynamics are going to be in our favor this time around. So I think we’ve got great opportunity there for pickups.
I’m just trying to think geographically. We’ve got pickup opportunities in a number of states in the Midwest. If you go to northeast, Connecticut with George Logan, his second time running, he’s doing a better job of fundraising, he’s got more support locally. This is a district that is in reach for us. I think we’ve got a good opportunity there. You add Maine to that, you add New York, there’s real pickup opportunities in the Northeast.
And then you go all the way out to Washington, where we’ve got another Trump district. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is the incumbent, and we’ve got a primary. So not sure which one of those candidates emerges, either a veteran, Joe Kent, or a woman, Leslie Lewallen, and we think either one’s going to run strong. Washington state, there’s some opportunity there for us.
California, we’ve got three on defense, but we’ve got some real offensive opportunities. The Katie Porter seat I mentioned, Scott Baugh is our candidate. He’s doing a great job of fundraising. Everybody’s solidified behind him. And then the Democrats spent a whole lot of money to help DUI Dave Min win the Democrat nomination. This guy got a DUI in a state vehicle last year. This isn’t old news, this was recent. That’s an R+2 district where Katie Porter spent $26 million to hold it. They’re not gonna have anywhere near that kind of resources this time around.
And then another one I’m really excited about is California’s 9th District, Josh Harder. Our candidate, Kevin Lincoln, is half-Mexican, half-African American. He’s a Marine, and has a beautiful family. He’s the very successful Republican mayor of a Democrat city in Stockton, which dominates this district. He’s someone that’s a really compelling candidate, and I think puts that seat in play. So a lot of offensive opportunities. Go out to Alaska. Don’t forget Alaska, the most Republican seat held by a Democrat, part of that really has to do with the ranked choice voting. Our candidate last time, Sarah Palin, she and our other Republican who’s on the ballot, didn’t get along, their supporters didn’t support each other as their second choice, and so a Democrat was able to sneak that victory out, but this time, we have Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, a very strong candidate for us, and we think she can solidify the Republican support. Lot of offensive opportunities for us.
Washington Reporter:
How do you make these campus protests a political negative for Democrats?
Richard Hudson:
I think it’s a huge problem for them, because I think it’s just a disgusting example of racism that the Democrats are really struggling with how to respond to it. I think most Americans look at it with disgust and recognize this is disorder, this is anti-semitism. And when you see the Democrats refuse to condemn it, you see the fact they’re taking money from the same people who are funding these protests, you see them vote to deny Israel access to munitions and supplies. These campus protests highlight a very dangerous radicalism in the Democrat Party, and I think voters are going to view this as extreme. I think it’s really going to hurt the Democrats.
Washington Reporter:
And then I want to end with the North Carolina focus. The RNC is completely taken over by North Carolina. You’ve got Michael Whatley, Lara Trump. How has that helped you on the House side, especially focused on the North Carolina races.
Richard Hudson:
Well, it’s exciting for me as a North Carolinian. I’ve known Michael Whatley since we were in college together, and I have tremendous respect for Lara Trump. The RNC is my partner, and having a very good, functioning RNC that’s raising money and doing the kind of get out the vote activities and the ballot security initiatives they are doing makes them an excellent partner for us. So it’s great to see North Carolina on the forefront, but it’s even more important that we have a really strong RNC.
Washington Reporter:
And then final question now. I want to focus on you specifically. You’ve seen politics from basically every side you could come at this field, from the official side to the campaign side. You’ve been in Congress, and now you’re running the NRCC. What advice would you have to people who are reading this on the Hill, who are reading this out on the campaign trail, who think ‘maybe I want to try running for office one day, I want to try the campaign or official side.’ What lessons have you learned already from your career?
Richard Hudson:
I think it’s a very noble thing for American citizens to want to serve their country, either working for an elected official or running for office themselves. It’s a way you give back to your country that’s given so much to you. It’s a way for you to make sure that we preserve this great country for future generations. I have an eight year old son, and so when I’m dealing with issues or watching campus protests and wondering what’s become of our country, I think about what kind of world am I leaving him? I would encourage people to get involved, and encourage people to make sure that we leave the country better than we found it.
Washington Reporter:
Chairman Hudson, thanks so much for your time.
Richard Hudson:
Appreciate it, and wish you a lot of success with this.