(NewsNation) — Hours before Virginia and New Jersey voters go to the polls, President Donald Trump on Monday night will do tele-rallies for the GOP gubernatorial nominees to help spur voter turnout.
Trump has approached each race a bit differently. In New Jersey, he endorsed Jack Ciattarelli early — in the primaries — and has fully endorsed him. In Virginia, however he has backed Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears but has not fully endorsed her.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin pushed back when asked about why President Trump hasn’t officially endorsed the state’s Republican nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Trump appeared at a tele-rally event on Thursday to encourage voter turnout for Election Day this upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 4. However, neither Earle-Sears nor the other GOP candidates on the ballot were invited to join the call.
Polls show Earle-Sears trailing her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, in the final days leading up to the Virginia gubernatorial election.
Trump called Earle-Sears ‘an excellent candidate’: Youngkin
When asked by NewsNation about why Trump hasn’t endorsed Earle-Sears, Youngkin pushed back, saying, “He has come out very favorably about the lieutenant governor. He called her an excellent candidate. He called Abigail Spanberger a terrible candidate.”
“We did a …. tele-rally on Thursday night, and he was very, very positive on the Lieutenant Governor and her winning as governor,” he continued.
Asked why Earle-Sears wasn’t on the Virginia call with the president, Youngkin said it was what Trump wanted.
“It was just me. Nobody else was either,” Youngkin said. “He just asked to do it with me.”
Youngkin also touted the news, first reported by Axios, that Trump’s political machine will now spend money in both Virginia and New Jersey to support get-out-the-vote efforts.
“You saw today that they’re investing in this race, and that is exactly what we need. I see him being very supportive, and I appreciate it,” Youngkin added.
Republicans have voter turnout concerns
One challenge Republicans have faced in years without Trump on the ticket is motivating his supporters to turn out at the polls.
Despite these concerns, Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial nominee John Reid told NewsNation that he believes “Republicans are really excited about this remarkable ticket. I think they are motivated after being threatened with their lives.”
Reid was referring to leaked text messages from 2022 by Democratic Attorney General nominee Jay Jones, in which he stated that then Virginia Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert should receive “two bullets to the head.”
Jones said during a recent debate that he was “ashamed” of those remarks.
Republicans are using Jones’s comments to link all Democrats to them, aiming to boost turnout for GOP candidates.
Asked if he was disappointed Trump has not endorsed the entire Virginia GOP ticket, Reid deflected: “I think the president is busy in Washington.”