Kellyanne Conway, ex-senior adviser to former President Trump and Fox News contributor, said although she doesn’t like early voting, if it’s the new normal, Republicans must adapt or they will “die politically.”
Conway joined talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday, where she was asked about Trump’s recent rhetoric switch. After years of inaccurately claiming mail-in voting was corrupt, Trump recently told his supporters that early voting systems are “all good options” to use this fall.
“I hope President Trump and Mrs. Trump will go and vote early in Florida, on the first day they’re eligible, to vote early because when the lion roars, the others will follow,” Conway said. “His voters will say, ‘oh, well, now President Trump went early, I can too.’”
Conway said she believes that early voting is “taking a chance,” but if an elderly voter who can’t get “out of the bathroom, let alone out of the house” won’t vote without mail-in systems, she wants “that sucker’s vote in October.”
“So, I don’t like early voting, but if this is the new normal, you adapt or you die politically,” she said.
Conway argued that she wants early voting ballot counting to be changed. She said states that conduct early voting should begin counting ballots before election night and then add the results with ballots cast on election day to get the final results that night.
The Republican Party has begun a new messaging campaign to its voters about early voting. Shortly after being elected Republican National Committee chair, Michael Whatley said the party needs to communicate and plan with the more than 50 percent of Americans who will cast their ballots before election day.