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President Donald Trump is expected to headline a tele-rally for the entire Virginia Republican statewide ticket, offering one of his last opportunities to issue a formal endorsement of the gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Trump has praised Earle-Sears during the campaign and said she “must win” against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, but stopped short of issuing a ringing endorsement as he has for former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, R-Somerville, in that state’s gubernatorial contest.
Little was made public about the tele-rally, and who would virtually attend such an event – including a Ciattarelli event also being held Monday evening.
But tele-town halls in other states, like those held occasionally by state lawmakers in Pennsylvania, often start with voters or constituents receiving a robo-call with a legislator’s voice asking them to press a button to be connected to the call – which then can either be a Q&A or the lawmaker describing their work in the recent term.
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A source familiar with prior such tele-rallies between Trump and Virginia voters said they do drive turnout.
The source recounted Trump’s efforts in the waning hours of the 2021 gubernatorial election, when he held a similar event remotely in support of now-outgoing-Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin had been polling well below ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe throughout the race – similar to how Earle-Sears has been underperforming against Spanberger – but ultimately engineered an upset by just over one percentage point over the Democrat.
“The president did a tele-rally for [Youngkin] the day before his election and he won by 60,000 votes — that was the difference,” the source said.
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However, after Youngkin won the GOP nomination in 2021, Trump explicitly issued his “complete and total endorsement” to the businessman and slammed McAuliffe as an unsavory “Clinton bagman.”
The themes in the two races remain similar – including the economy, southwestern Virginia’s energy potential and northern Virginia’s transgender bathroom controversies.
In New York, frontrunner Zohran Mamdani mocked independent Andrew Cuomo with a “Trump endorsement” meme, which was retweeted by Virginia pollster Larry Sabato, who warned that if Earle-Sears does get the president’s official nod Monday, “Virginians may see something similar tomorrow, given Trump’s low popularity in Virginia.”
And Democrats argue Trump’s involvement could backfire given his low favorability in Virginia.
In 2021, Youngkin chipped away ever so slightly at Democrats’ margins in deep-blue Washington, D.C., suburbs – while also proverbially running up the score in Republican-rich but vote-poor southwestern Virginia – a combination that propelled him to victory.
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At a Montgomery County rally for Earle-Sears, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said it is imperative that people on the fence get out and vote in his rural end of the state.
Recent polls showed Attorney General Jason Miyares with the highest current statistical shot of winning his race, leading scandal-plagued former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk.
In the lieutenant governorship sweeps, Richmond broadcaster and former congressional communications director John Reid is tied for or within the margin of error of state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield.
While battling to take back power at the statewide level in Richmond, Republicans are also playing defense in as many as a dozen state delegate seats across the state that Democrats see as pickups.
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They include Loudoun County’s last remaining GOP delegate, Geary Higgins, and several Republicans in the Washington exurbs, including Del. Paul Milde in Prince William County and Ian Lovejoy and House Minority Whip Michael Webert in Fauquier County.
Democrats also hope to unseat Dels. Carrie Coyner in Hopewell, Kim Taylor in Dinwiddie County, A.C. Cordoza in York County and Del. David Owen in Henrico County – which would greatly expand their narrow two-vote majority.
State Senate seats are not up until 2027.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the state of an Earle-Sears endorsement.
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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.
Fox News 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.
Youngkin did overperform expectations in both red and blue areas that election.
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