Spicey’s Back! Amid Chaos, White House Makes Time for 2017 VA-GOV Campaign

Spicer Puts Crisis on Hold to Headline Virginia GOP Fundraiser Tonight 

Sean Spicer is coming out of the bushes and into the Virginia gubernatorial campaign.

The embattled Trump administration is launching its first effort tonight to support the Virginia GOP gubernatorial race in 2017: a race that will be seen as a referendum on the Trump administration in a swing state.
As his job hangs in the balance, the embattled White House Press Secretary will make time to headline a fundraiser for the Virginia Republican Party tonight. It’s the latest sign that the administration is desperate to compete in the Virginia gubernatorial race coming later this year.
At a press briefing earlier this year, Spicer specifically mentioned Virginia as a marquee race of the year and said President Trump expected to campaign there later this year.
Q: Does the President plan to be involved on behalf of the Republican candidates…?
A: You’re also going to have elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as far as I am aware. I think that as we get further into the schedule and get closer to elections, we’ll obviously entertain requests from candidates at a variety of ballot levels to gauge the president’s support. He’s been very supportive of candidates in the last cycle. I don’t see him not being supportive of people that want to fight hard for the agenda.
For Virginia Republicans, that’s not necessarily good news.
President Trump is deeply unpopular in Virginia with a lowly 37 percent approval rating. The scandals and crises coming from the White House have also bled into the governor’s race there. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie drew criticism for his response to FBI Director James Comey’s firing and refused to even say whether he would campaign with Trump.
“While the world as we know it crumbles around us, the White House is still making time for the governor’s race in Virginia,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “This election is so important to Donald Trump that he’s sending his spokesman to raise money. Make no mistake, this election is a referendum on Donald Trump.”

###