Republican leaders across Virginia are grappling with how to handle the latest round of controversy from Donald Trump. And they’re taking a variety of approaches.
Unlike other Republican candidates on the ballot this fall, Congresswoman Barbara Comstock doesn’t need to reconsider her endorsement of Donald Trump in light of his comments about a Gold Star family. That’s because she never made one.
Congressman Bob Goodlatte, on the other hand, issued a written statement distancing himself from the comment while not mentioning Trump by name. Quentin Kidd at Christopher Newport University says each approach is tailor-made for their respective districts.
“Goodlatte probably has a lot more Republicans who support Donald Trump in that district who feel a lot more strongly about their support than Barbara Comstock has in the 10th Congressional District."
That would be the most competitive race in Virginia, where Geoff Skelley at the University of Virginia Center for Politics says Comstock’s approach is risky but understandable.
“The presidential race drives turnout so I think she’s decided that it’s OK to keep herself separate from Trump and that the benefit of that is bigger than the benefit of cozying up to him."
For Republicans in Virginia, it is not just academic. The solider at the center of the controversy is a graduate of UVA, and his parents live in Charlottesville.
