As a blue state with Republican power over elections, Virginia draws GOP attention

Former President Donald Trump and his allies keep saying Republicans can win Virginia.

“Virginia is in play,” said Jeff Ryer, the Virginia spokesman for Trump’s campaign. “President Trump and Team Trump know Virginia is a battleground, which is among the reasons why President Trump will be holding a rally here on Saturday. … Virginia is within the margin-of-error.”

It’s a position that raises some eyebrows in political circles. Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points in 2020. The state has voted for a Democrat in the last four presidential elections. Polling shows Kamala Harris on track to win the state’s 12 electoral votes by at least a five-point margin.

But far-right personalities are spreading unfounded allegations of voter fraud in Virginia. And local election officials in at least one county are already arguing they shouldn’t have to certify the election results. Meanwhile, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, both Republicans, successfully convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to purge 1,600 suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls just days before the election.

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