For months now, Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has been trying to distance himself from failed, one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump because he doesn’t want to be directly associated with a man as controversial and tarnished as the Donald.
And yet, on the eve of the election in the state, Trump decided he’d tie himself to Youngkin with a statement that could well doom the Republican when voters go to the polls tomorrow.
Politico reports that the Trump statement — released via his spokesperson — makes it clear that the ex-president sees Youngkin as a carbon copy of himself:
“The Fake News media, together with some of the perverts doing ads ad nauseam on primarily Fox (Fox shouldn’t take those ads!), are trying to create an impression that Glenn Youngkin and I are at odds and don’t like each other.
“Importantly, this is not true, we get along very well together and strongly believe in many of the same policies.”
That statement is exactly what Younkin’s Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, has been saying for months now and reiterated shortly after Trump sent out his statement:
“Since launching his campaign, Glenn Youngkin has made it clear he is running for governor for one person and one person only: Donald Trump. Now, with less than 24 hours until Election Day, Trump is helping Glenn close his campaign and rewarding his total allegiance for the last eight months.”
Quite simply, Trump may have just doomed Glenn Youngkin. The election will likely come down to turnout, but Trump’s enthusiastic embrace of the Virginia Republican could turn off lots of independent voters who haven’t yet made up their minds about how they’ll cast their ballot on Tuesday.
If you watch election returns Tuesday evening, keep a close eye on Northern Virginia. That’s where Democrats get their biggest share of votes in the state, and that’s where Youngkin will probably come up short, if only by a few points.
But in a race as close as the one between Youngkin and McAuliffe, a few points may be the margin of victory. And having an albatross like Trump around your neck is not something any candidate wants the day before votes are cast.