Trump Moves Resources Out of Virginia Amid Sinking Poll Numbers

RICHMOND, VA — When nationally acclaimed political analyst Larry Sabato hears about rallies in Virginia supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence, some of which have been headlined with the candidates themselves, he shakes his head.

The way he sees things, such gatherings are little more than a fool's errand in the contest against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine.

So when NBC News reported Thursday that the Trump campaign is "pulling out of Virginia," citing sources on a conference call late Wednesday, the University of Virginia professor wasn't surprised at all, and basically wondered what took them so long.

"If you read our Crystal Ball, you know we put Virginia in the Democratic column last March and we've never moved it," Sabato said Thursday. "Tim Kaine's addition to the ticket iced Virginia for the Democrats.

"I'm amazed Trump and Pence have spent so much time and energy here — a big waste for them."

Sources told NBC News that Trump is "running essentially a four-state campaign," targeting battleground states Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In the latest poll available, via Roanoke College from Oct. 2-6, Clinton leads by 45 percent over Trump (36) and third-party candidates Gary Johnson (7) and Jill Stein (1).

The Real Clear Politics aggregate poll of Virginia has Clinton ahead by 7.5 percentage points.

Virginia Tech political scientist Charles Walcott had sentiments similar to Sabato's about the report, adding he was a bit taken aback, given that Pence had campaign stops Wednesday in Salem and Lynchburg.

"So it's kind of sudden," he said Thursday. "Trump's path to victory is now overgrown with weeds, boulders, snakes, and what have you. But he definitely has no path without the four states he'll focus on, so the decision makes sense.

"That said, his chances in Pennsylvania, to name one, look bleak at best. In fact, right now he would likely lose all four."

On Monday, the Trump contingent dumped state campaign chairman Corey Stewart following an afternoon protest event at the RNC headquarters.

Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, told NBC News he was "disgusted" by the decision.

"I think it's totally premature for the campaign to be pulling out of Virginia after so much work and all the hundreds of hours of volunteer time and thousands and thousands of volunteers," he said. "The only thing the campaign had to do was spend money on an ad campaign and it would have been competitive.

"I'm just disgusted."

Thursday afternoon, however, Virginia Republican Party Chairman John Whitbeck offered a divergent view of the report.

"Republican Party of Virginia and Republican National Committee teams have been on the ground in the Commonwealth for two years preparing for this election," he said in a statement. "Our commitment to winning Virginia for all of our Republican candidates remains unchanged."

". . .Media reports saying the Trump campaign has withdrawn from Virginia come from unnamed sources and a former state co-chair who was terminated by the campaign."

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