The chairman of New York state’s Republican Party on Friday praised former President Donald Trump's call for unity at the Republican National Convention and expressed optimism about flipping New York from blue to red.
"He gave a strong speech vowing to be the candidate that unites the American people," Ed Cox said during an appearance on “Mornings On 1.” "We have a shared destiny, as he said it."
Cox particularly highlighted Trump's appeal to working-class voters.
"We are now the party of the working class," Cox said. "The working men and women here are living paycheck to paycheck and see their paychecks are worth 5% less and they have now come our way."
He added that there is a sense of momentum among Republicans following the conclusion of the RNC, which he said is in contrast with the Democratic Party.
“Over the last three weeks they broke apart because [Biden] was showing up so well in the polls. Then you had the debate, and the Democrats went, ‘Now this is the time to change horses.’ Well, the present horse doesn't want to be changed. And so, they've got a real issue there,” he said, highlighting recent calls for President Joe Biden to exit the 2024 presidential election.
Looking ahead to the general election, Cox said he believes the GOP's chances in New York are strong.
"It feels a lot like 1980 to me—1980 the last time that we defeated an incumbent Democrat president,” he said, referring to when Republican candidate Ronald Regan defeated incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
"We had inflation as a big issue back then, the economy was a big issue, now we have immigration on top of that," Cox said. "And as a result of all those, we are doing very well here in New York."