Delicate dance for Trump, Youngkin in campaign's final weeks

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RICHMOND, Va. – When Donald Trump rallied Republicans this week to ballot for Glenn Youngkin for politician successful Virginia, the erstwhile president called successful to a rally of diehard supporters. That whitethorn beryllium the closest helium gets to campaigning successful the astir closely-watched predetermination of 2021.

While schedules could germinate successful the last weeks of the race, the 2 are not expected to run unneurotic successful idiosyncratic earlier Election Day adjacent month.

“Is Trump going to travel to Virginia? Yes. But it volition beryllium aft the predetermination for a triumph rally,” said blimpish speech amusement big John Fredericks, who served arsenic Trump's run president successful the authorities and besides organized Wednesday’s event. Youngkin’s run confirmed Friday it does not person immoderate plans for surrogates to articulation him successful the race's last stretch.

The dynamic reflects the analyzable balancing act betwixt Trump and Youngkin and could look arsenic a exemplary for different Republicans who look competitory campaigns successful 2022. The erstwhile president remains the astir fashionable fig successful GOP authorities and is anxious to stay engaged. Youngkin needs Trump's supporters to amusement up to the polls and can't hazard giving the erstwhile president a crushed to crook connected him successful the race’s last weeks. But helium indispensable besides debar being tied excessively intimately to idiosyncratic who is unpopular successful important swaths of the state, peculiarly the populated suburbs that situation Washington and Richmond.

It's a delicate balancing enactment for Youngkin, who is locked successful a choky contention with Democrat Terry McAuliffe and steered wide of the Wednesday event. In summation to Fredericks, the rally was headlined by longtime Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who could soon find himself charged with contempt for refusing to cooperate with a House committee investigating the convulsive Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. And it drew outrage aft attendees recited the pledge of allegiance to a emblem the emcee said had been flown that day, a determination Youngkin aboriginal criticized.

While the erstwhile president remains the astir almighty unit successful the enactment 9 months aft leaving office, helium mislaid Virginia by 10 points successful 2020 and is viewed favorably by conscionable 44% of apt voters successful the state, according to a caller Fox News poll.

If Trump were to clasp a rally successful the state, “it would beryllium a catastrophe for Youngkin,” said Bob Holsworth, a longtime section governmental expert successful the state. “This is simply a idiosyncratic who mislaid by 10 points successful Virginia, mislaid successful a landslide. He’s highly unpopular successful Virginia. ... The much helium shows up and helium much helium participates, the worse disconnected it is for Youngkin."

That hazard was underscored by the absorption to Wednesday's event, wherever Trump praised Youngkin arsenic “a large gentleman,” portion spreading lies astir the 2020 election.

Democrats instantly pounced, condemning what they labeled “Donald Trump’s insurrectionist rally." McAuliffe's run chopped an advertisement featuring Trump’s praise for Youngkin, portion McAuliffe held a property league to teardrop into his opponent, some broadly for his absorption connected “dangerous conspiracy theories” and for his archetypal soundlessness connected the lawsuit itself.

Trump, for his part, besides has small to summation by spending overmuch much governmental superior connected the race. If Youngkin wins, Trump is definite to effort to instrumentality credit, citing his information successful Wednesday's rally, his May endorsement, and immoderate aboriginal get retired the ballot efforts. But if Youngkin loses, Trump tin blasted him for not aligning himself much intimately with the erstwhile president.

Indeed, Trump precocious had warned the campaigner astir straying excessively acold during an interrogation with Fredericks.

“The lone guys that triumph are the guys that clasp the MAGA movement,” helium said. “When they effort and spell down a railroad track, you know, ‘Hey, ohio yeah, sure, I emotion it, emotion it. Oh yeah, I emotion Trump, emotion Trump, OK, let’s go, adjacent subject.’ When they bash that, they ne'er win. They ne'er win. They person to clasp it.”

While Youngkin's run hasn’t featured galore big-name surrogates astatine his governmental events, McAuliffe has been summoning Democratic prima power. President Joe Biden has already campaigned with McAuliffe and his run told The Associated Press this week that the president volition instrumentality earlier the Nov. 2 vote. First woman Jill Biden appeared with McAuliffe astatine a rally Friday and erstwhile President Barack Obama volition run with him adjacent week.

Trump spokespeople did not respond to questions astir the race, and Youngkin’s run did not respond to questions astir Trump.

Youngkin has aimed his transportation much toward mean and autarkic voters since winning his party’s primary. During that campaign, Youngkin declined to accidental whether Biden was reasonably elected. He has since said helium believes helium was — and that helium does not judge determination was important fraud past November.

Instead of pursuing successful the mold of different blue-state Republican governors similar Maryland’s Larry Hogan and Charlie Baker successful Massachusetts, Youngkin has tally connected a solidly blimpish acceptable of platforms, embracing immoderate GOP civilization warfare issues and promising to assistance cull the “left wide progressive agenda” helium says is shaping Virginia.

After mostly pivoting distant from his absorption connected predetermination integrity successful the information contest, he’s centered run appearances and ads connected issues similar crime, taxes and schoolhouse choice.

Democrats person criticized him, though, for recent remarks astir auditing the state’s voting machines and for campaigning with state Sen. Amanda Chase, a salient promoter of predetermination falsehoods who’s garnered the nickname “Trump successful heels.”

Youngkin has besides antecedently said Trump “represents truthful overmuch of wherefore I’m running.”

“What Youngkin is trying to bash is he’s attempting to support the MAGA basal portion absorbing the suburban defectors from the Democrats. And that’s tough,” said Holsworth,

Fredericks said it was a winning strategy.

“Here’s wherefore Glenn Youngkin is going to win: We’re holding the Trump basal unneurotic by a thread," helium said. ”Glenn Youngkin and this run has ne'er abandoned the halfway principles that are important to Trump voters, not 1 day."

Former Virginia governor, U.S. ambassador and GOP statesmanlike campaigner Jim Gilmore said Youngkin had done a bully occupation of keeping the contention tightly focused connected his candidacy.

“I deliberation that nationalizing this run is not adjuvant to either of the candidates,” helium said.

“Glenn’s got to beryllium his ain man” and “run his own” race, agreed erstwhile U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, who represented bluish Virginia’s 11th Congressional District for 14 years.

Davis said helium thinks Virginia voters are much acrophobic astir Biden, whose support standing has slumped, than Trump. People voted for Biden “to get Donald Trump retired of their surviving room,” helium said. “But they didn’t ballot for each this worldly that Biden’s bringing with him. And I deliberation they’re going to pump the brakes."

Several polls released since mid-September amusement a competitory contention betwixt McAuliffe and Youngkin. Some, including a caller canvass by Fox News, suggest McAuliffe whitethorn person a flimsy advantage, though Youngkin remains wrong striking region and immoderate voters for some candidates said they whitethorn inactive alteration their minds.

Colvin reported from New York.

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