Trump is looking to expand his margin of victory in 2020.
Severely underestimated in state polls and by the mainstream media, Donald Trump won the presidency to the shock and disappointment of much of the D.C. establishment.
Now, after Democrat leadership has been flailing in turmoil, President Trump just announced he’s turning his sights to this one state.
Virginia is Trump’s next big target, and if he can make inroads in the Commonwealth, he may just be able to make up the votes to switch the state red in 2020.
Trump’s Prospects in Virginia
On the night of the 2016 elections, Trump lost Virginia by 5 percentage points.
However, the Republican had withdrawn his resources from the state several months ahead of the election to focus on more competitive states.
But with the slate of Democratic leaders facing repeated scandals, Trump might be able to tilt the results in his favor over the next two years.
In fact, the President also has the perfect opportunity to test this theory in upcoming Virginia elections.
Every seat in Virginia’s General Assembly, both the House of Delegates and the Senate, is up for election this year.
Republicans hold a very narrow control over both chambers, and with Democrats across the country planning to invest millions in the race, this state could soon turn blue from the Governor’s mansion, through control of the General Assembly.
In fact, when Democrats did this in 2017, they swept 17 Republicans out of office blowing out their own expectations.
But one wrench in the works could derail expectations for big Democratic gains this year.
Turmoil Among Democrat Leadership May Be The Opening Trump Needs
The ‘tip of the spear’ to turn Virginia red has been Vice President Mike Pence. Wednesday evening Pence held a fundraiser in Northern Virginia for GOP candidates hoping to eke out wins in November, with plans for more Virginia fundraisers as the election draws closer.
During the event, Pence relayed a message from the President, “Tell them we think Virginia is in play and that I’m going to be there.”
Trump has been on the offensive in Virginia for some time, at least in his rhetoric.
During the State of the Union Trump attacked the Democrat Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, after he made radical comments about aborting children after birth.
Related: Trump Targets Northam During State of the Union Speech
Then, once more during a rally in El Paso, Texas.
Trump’s focus on Virginia seems to be inspired by recent polling.
“Trump’s pollsters recently launched surveys to gauge the president’s strength in more than a dozen states, including Virginia. The campaign has also tapped Jason Simmons, a veteran of Southern politics and a Trump 2016 alumnus, as a regional political director whose responsibilities will include helping to oversee the state. Field staffers are expected to be dispatched to Virginia in the coming months.” Politico reports.
Democrats remain confident that Trump will be unable to make inroads in the Commonwealth.
“The Trump campaign should definitely pull resources from Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to pour into the opportunity they see in Virginia,” said Democrat strategist Jesse Ferguson, sarcastically. “I strongly encourage them to do that.”
Virginia Democrats accuse Trump of facing more scandals than their own statewide officials, and claim that Northam’s radical comments on abortion, the blackface scandals, and the sexual assault charges facing Justin Fairfax will all fade from the voter’s minds by 2020.
What do you think?
Will Trump be able to use the scandals facing Democrat Leadership to pull a win in 2020?
Or will Democrats take home electoral victory in 2019 and 2020?
Leave your answer in the comments section below.