Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee, said former President Donald Trump's depth of knowledge about House races has always been impressive, Politico reports.
Hudson's job, as chairman of the NRCC, is to ensure Republicans win and keep the House. And he said Trump has been a great partner in this fight.
"Early on, he asked me to come in and brief him on the races and what was on the map. I've briefed people a lot before and know your window of opportunity," he said.
"You know, maybe you get through five or six slides, but they'd send us a list of things they wanted to see and I have like a hundred slides. I thought, 'Well, I'll get through the first seven or eight, right?'
"Well, we spent an hour and a half going through race by race by race, and his knowledge and interest level in these races — I mean, he would say, 'Oh, yeah, I remember in 2020, this other person ran this seat,' and he would remember how that race played out," he said in an exclusive interview with Politico.
"He's very interested in the House. He understands that to be successful as president in his next term, he's got to have a Republican House majority, and he's been very engaged," he said.
Hudson said the assassination attempt on Trump was "a gut punch" that has galvanized Republicans as "we all watched live the president being shot and almost killed."
"I think it will ultimately benefit him because of, again, the way he reacted in the moment, the way he's conducted himself since. We all watched Monday night when he came into that arena.
"I mean, the roof blew off the place. But I saw in him just a lot of humility, a lot of gratitude," he said.
He said J.D. Vance was a "fantastic" choice for the vice presidential candidate as someone who "embodies the American dream."
"This is a guy who grew up in poverty. It's truly a rags-to-riches kind of story that I think will resonate with a lot of Americans, and I think particularly in some places where the president needs the votes ...
"I think it just absolutely sets Ohio on fire. I think the people in Ohio are going to be excited to go cast a vote for their native son," he said.
He said Vance, age 39, will also galvanize young people to get out and vote.
"And for guys, we see a guy with a beard and go like, 'That's pretty cool. I wish I could grow a beard like that,'" he said.