All three Republicans running statewide this year will be at a unity event in Northern Virginia this evening.
Earlier this year, Virginia's Republican governor asked for the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor to step down. That did not happen, and all three statewide Republican candidates have operated their own independent campaigns ever since. Until now. This evening in Vienna, Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid and Jason Miyares are expected to appear together for the first time.
"All three of them started recognizing and reading the news media and hearing from maybe fundraisers and supporters that it was really important to show a united Republican ticket," says Karen Hult at Virginia Tech. "Especially in what looks like it could be a difficult election year for Republicans."
The Republicans locked down their ticket back in April, but that doesn't mean they got a jump on Democrats. Since the primary last month, Democrats have already launched a bus tour with dozens of stops across Virginia.
"By the time the heavy money starts to roll in and pour in through late summer, early fall, I don't know if this early jump is really going to matter that much or have that much of a significant impact," says Wes Bellamy at Virginia State University. "Because by that time, their messages and what they’re going to be doing or planning to do will be in the face of everyone by then."
The location of the Republican unity event in Vienna is a part of Northern Virginia where Republicans have struggled in recent years. In the last campaign for governor, for example, Glenn Youngkin got only 40% of the votes in this part of Fairfax County.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
