Republican voters likely looked at the polls and thought Gillespie would win easily, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
“There is a real dispute within the Republican Party about how close a candidate should be to Donald Trump,” Farnsworth told The Daily Signal.
The president was a key factor in both primaries, he said.
“It was a factor in the intensity for Stewart that made it a close race, and the intensity that forced Northam to move to the left and sharpen his attack on Trump in order to fend off Perriello,” Farnsworth said.
Link to report
Symbolism heavy in Virginia House race (The Daily Signal)
Republican voters likely looked at the polls and thought Gillespie would win easily, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
“There is a real dispute within the Republican Party about how close a candidate should be to Donald Trump,” Farnsworth told The Daily Signal.
The president was a key factor in both primaries, he said.
“It was a factor in the intensity for Stewart that made it a close race, and the intensity that forced Northam to move to the left and sharpen his attack on Trump in order to fend off Perriello,” Farnsworth said.
Link to report
