Virginia race a delicate dance for Trump, gubernatorial hopeful
RICHMOND, VA. >> When Donald Trump rallied Republicans this past week to vote for Glenn Youngkin for governor in Virginia, the former president called in to a gathering of die-hard supporters. That may be the closest he gets to campaigning in the most closely watched election of 2021.
While schedules could change in the final weeks of the race, the two are not expected to turn out together in person before the Nov. 2 election against Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
“Is Trump going to come to Virginia? Yes. But it will be after the election for a victory rally,” said conservative talk show host John Fredericks, who served as Trump’s campaign chairman in the state and also organized Wednesday’s event. Youngkin’s campaign confirmed Friday it does not have any plans for surrogates to join him before Election Day.
The dynamic reflects the complex balancing act between Trump and Youngkin and could emerge as a model for other Republicans who face competitive campaigns in 2022.
Trump is the most popular figure in GOP politics
and is eager to remain engaged. Youngkin needs Trump’s supporters to come out and cannot risk giving Trump a reason to turn on him in the race’s final weeks. But Youngkin must avoid being tied too closely to someone who is unpopular in crucial swaths of the state, particularly the suburbs that surround Washington, D.C., and Richmond.
Youngkin steered clear of the Wednesday event that also featured longtime Trump strategist Steve Bannon. He soon could find himself charged with contempt for refusing to cooperate with a U.S. House committee investigating the Capitol riot. The Republican rally drew outrage after attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance to a flag that the emcee said had been flown at the Jan. 6 insurrection. Youngkin later criticized the use of that flag.
While Trump remains the most powerful force in the party nine months after leaving office, he lost Virginia by 10 percentage points in 2020 and is viewed favorably by just 44% of likely voters in the state, according to a recent Fox News poll.
If Trump were to hold a rally in the state, “it would be a disaster for Youngkin,” said Bob Holsworth, a longtime political analyst in the state, adding, “The more he shows up and the more he participates, the worse off it is for Youngkin.”
At the rally, Trump praised Youngkin as “a great gentleman,” while also spreading lies about the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats quickly condemned what they said was “Donald Trump’s insurrectionist rally.” McAuliffe’s campaign cut an ad featuring Trump’s praise for Youngkin, and the Democratic nominee held a new conference to criticize his opponent, for his focus on “dangerous conspiracy theories” and his initial silence on the event itself.