Source: Semafor
by David Weigel
“The GOP is clearly betting that it can run a Biden-era campaign in Virginia this year. Led by [Glenn] Youngkin in 2021, the party swept every statewide office and flipped the House of Delegates with a simple formula: Compete in racially diverse suburbs, drive up turnout with rural conservatives, and watch Democrats struggle to defend their record on crime and gender. But this year, Democrats doubt that the issues that bedeviled them four years ago — like post-pandemic learning loss, public school gender policies, or higher crime that got blamed on criminal justice reform — will be on the ballot again. They see Virginia as a proving ground for their post-Biden campaign strategies. And they see a backlash coming against elements of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda that have hit the state especially hard, starting with his sweeping federal workforce cuts.” (07/08/25)
https://www.semafor.com/article/07/08/2025/republicans-try-a-novel-pitch-make-virginia-2021-again