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President Donald Trump and Gov. Glenn Youngkin headlined a Thursday tele-rally for the entire Virginia Republican ticket, as the commander-in-chief has yet to formally endorse Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ gubernatorial bid.
Earle-Sears – who is vying to succeed the term-limited Youngkin – the ticket includes Richmond broadcaster John Reid for lieutenant governor, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and the entire GOP caucus in the House of Delegates who hope to win an uphill battle to gain the three seats needed to take back the majority.
Recent polls showed Miyares with the highest current statistical shot of winning his race, leading scandal-plagued former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk. while Reid is tied or within the margin of error of state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield.
Earle-Sears, however, remains several points behind former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger – though her campaign previously stated they view the race as much closer.
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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, left; President Trump, right. (Al Drago/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A source familiar with the event said Youngkin urged Virginians to support the full ticket, emphasizing that Earle-Sears would continue the “commonsense, conservative leadership that has delivered results under Governor Youngkin.”
Youngkin and Trump made a clear contrast between the Republican ticket’s platform and the “extreme, far-left policies” of past governors incredibly clear.
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Digital reached out to the Republican National Committee for further comment on Trump’s appearance, while a source familiar with the rally said the event closely mirrored one four years ago that helped propel Youngkin past statistically favored Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
“The president did a tele-rally for [Youngkin] the day before his election and he won by 60,000 votes – that was the difference.”
Youngkin did overperform expectations in both red and blue areas that election.
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Although Youngkin didn’t win any of the Washington, D.C., collar counties — including Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church — he narrowed Republican deficits there compared to past elections.
That improvement, paired with overwhelming margins in deep-red southwestern counties like Lee, Wise, Dickenson, and Tazewell, helped secure his victory.
Both Youngkin and Trump expressed hope that Earle-Sears could replicate that formula against the favored Democrat, Spanberger.
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But Trump has declined to officially endorse Earle-Sears during this cycle.
He did, however, endorse Jack Ciattarelli for governor of similarly blue-leaning New Jersey – though the former assemblyman has been trending better in polls than Earle-Sears.
A source familiar with Youngkin’s 2021 run noted that the two men were at arm’s length throughout most of the campaign.
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Republicans often face a delicate balancing act — energizing their base and attracting independents without galvanizing staunchly anti-Trump voters in Virginia’s most densely populated areas.
Earle-Sears has, however, drawn in popular pinch-hitters from out of state in recent days:
On Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier – a rising star in that state’s Republican circles who helped engineer Alligator Alcatraz and is battling blue states over sanctuary policies – headlined a rally for Sears in New Baltimore.
Uthmeier was joined by Earle-Sears, Miyares – and Dels. Ian Lovejoy, R-Nokesville, and Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, who both face tough races as the Democratic diaspora from Washington moves farther west into some of Virginia’s more conservative confines.
Lovejoy said the election will decide one of the “simplest” but most important questions: “Who is in charge of your children?”
Virginia House Minority Whip Michael Webert, R-Warrenton, also spoke – warning voters that not only is Virginia’s governorship up for grabs but also the future of their very federal representation for years to come.
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“A million people have already voted and didn’t know we were going to have this,” Webert said.
“This is an issue for our election. Is that not disenfranchising voters? All the reason, all of you … need to vote.”
