GOP Eyeing Trump Win in Virginia

(AP)

Republicans see signs making them optimistic about winning Virginia in a presidential election for the first time in 20 years.

Several surveys, including a recent Roanoke College poll, have shown former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden tied in the Old Dominion state in the 2024 race for the White House.

Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020. A Republican presidential candidate hasn’t won the state since then-President George W. Bush in 2004.

Trump’s support in Virginia could be helped by the presence of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has a relatively good approval rating among independents and key minority groups. Also, the Virginia Legislature is only narrowly controlled by Democrats.

“I’d rather be the Trump campaign rather than the Biden campaign right now,” said Zack Roday, a GOP strategist in Virginia who previously worked on Youngkin’s campaign, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.

“If the polls hold in September and October, there will be spending here and it will be a problem for Democrats to have to spend in order to hold the commonwealth.”

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., says Democrats should not assume Biden is guaranteed to win the state.

“I don’t think Virginia is a Trump state, culturally,” Beyer said, CBS News reported. “I want to make sure that Virginians don’t take the race for granted. I think every Democrat in Virginia has to treat it as if we’re on a war footing.”

A loss in Virginia likely would not bode well for Biden’s chances in the group of battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — expected to play a large role in determine the election’s outcome.

“If they have to compete in Virginia, then this thing is over,” Roday told the Examiner. “I don’t know if I would classify [Virginia] as in play or as a battleground, but it’s right there. What it signifies is a bad trend for the president and a good trend for President Trump.”

The outlet reported that Youngkin met with Trump this past week to discuss election strategy.

Virginia Beach, Stafford County and the western part of Fairfax County are considered areas where Republicans could do well.

“I’m in the camp of if it’s ever going to happen — this could be our year, solely because of Biden’s low approval numbers,” state GOP operative Brian Kirwin told the Examiner.

“Honestly, every four years, someone says Virginia is in play right up until Election Day. But this is a referendum on Biden, as most incumbent elections are, and people are going to vote according to his performance.”