Former President Donald Trump is planning to return to Virginia for a campaign event on June 28th, the day after the first presidential debate. The campaign has not confirmed a location yet, but they are looking in the Virginia Beach-Hampton Roads area. This area has a significant military population and is home to the U.S. Navy’s fighter-attack jet fleet on the East Coast. The Trump campaign hopes to build off momentum from the debate to carry the former president into the next phase of the campaign.
This will be Trump’s second visit to Virginia during this election cycle. He previously campaigned in Richmond in March before Super Tuesday. Despite President Biden winning Virginia by 10 points in 2020, the Trump campaign believes that Virginia is in play for them this time around. No Republican running for president has won Virginia since 2004, when George W. Bush was reelected, although historically the commonwealth voted Republican before that.
During a meeting at Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia, former President Trump met with Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, for the first time. Youngkin shared polling numbers with Trump that showed he was competitive with Biden in the state. The DNC expressed doubt about any GOP optimism regarding Virginia, citing Trump’s double-digit loss in 2020 and Youngkin’s loss in the Virginia legislative elections last year. Despite this, both Biden and his surrogates have been active in Virginia recently, showing that they also believe it’s not impossible for Trump to win there.
Democrats, including Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, have been sending fundraising emails after Trump and Youngkin’s meeting. Biden himself visited McLean, a wealthy Northern Virginia suburb, for a fundraiser earlier in the week, indicating the importance of Virginia in the upcoming election. The DNC spokesperson stated that Virginians have repeatedly rejected MAGA Trump Republicans from 2016 onwards, and they will do so again in November. However, the active presence of both parties in Virginia shows that it is still considered a battleground state.
Overall, the upcoming campaign event in Virginia will be an important moment for the Trump campaign as they aim to capitalize on momentum from the first presidential debate. Despite historical voting patterns in Virginia, the campaign believes that they have a chance to win the state this time. With both Trump and Biden focusing on Virginia in the campaign, it is clear that the state will be a key battleground in the upcoming election. The meeting between Trump and Youngkin, as well as Biden’s fundraising efforts in Virginia, highlights the significance of the state in the race for the presidency.
