Rep. Mark Meadows is staring down President Trump in a high-stakes health care negotiation that carries significant political risks for him back home in western North Carolina.
Meadows' 11th district delivered more votes for Trump in November than any other in the state.
Republican insiders there say the congressman could suffer a backlash if his party's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare fails in a scheduled Thursday vote because the group of House insurgents he leads refuses to compromise with the president.
"If it comes down to it, and there's no deal at all, our mountain people are going to side with Trump," said Steve Coleman, chairman of the Republican Party in Cherokee County, in the far west corner of North Carolina. "Our voters want to see it get worked out."
Meadows, 57, is a genial firebrand, if there is such a thing.
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05.15.2025