'People are hurting in NC': DNC Chair strikes back at Trump as Republican National Convention nears end

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- It may be a predictable tit-for-tat, but there are plenty of voters left in the middle wrestling with whom to support come Nov. 3.

"If you think that a person with a preexisting condition should have access to health care, then you should vote Democrat," Tom Perez, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, tells ABC11 in an exclusive interview. "We're fighting for that, while (President) Donald Trump and Republicans like (Senator) Thom Tillis are fighting to do away with your coverage."

As Republicans counter last week's Democratic National Convention with its own four-night confab, Perez maintains the attacks against Democrats as being "radical" and "far-left" aren't the reality.

"They did that when Social Security was being debated and Medicare was debated," Perez adds. "It's the oldest distraction and trick in the book."

In a wide-ranging interview, Perez also defended his party leadership's response to the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man.

"The problem with Donald Trump is it's an either-or thing," Perez asserts. "You're either for police or for the community. That is a false choice. No one in the Democratic Party condones any use of violence by protestors. Period. Hard stop. End of story."