Vance to campaign in Virginia as Trump campaign goes on offense

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) will hold a rally in Virginia next week, as the Trump campaign targets the commonwealth as a place to expand the electoral map with Democrats engulfed in drama.

Vance will speak on Monday night in Radford, the Trump campaign announced. Vance is expected to attack the Biden White House over its economic and border policies by citing rising prices for groceries and gas, as well as increased numbers of apprehensions at the southern border.

The campaign noted nearly 2,000 Virginians died in 2022 of fentanyl poisoning, something the campaign attributed to the situation at the border — though experts say there is little evidence of a link between the deadly drug and illegal immigration.

The Virginia event will be Vance's second solo rally since joining the GOP ticket. He will campaign earlier Monday in Ohio in what is being billed as a "hometown rally," and he will appear in Michigan on Saturday alongside former President Trump.

The campaign is sending Vance to Virginia as polling suggests it could be a pick up opportunity in November, despite President Biden beating Trump there in 2020 by 10 percentage points.

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll released Thursday found that 45 percent of Virginia voters said they support Trump, while 43 percent back Biden and 11 percent said they were undecided. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3 points.

A growing number of Democrats have called on Biden to step aside as the nominee, citing concerns that he cannot beat Trump in November. The president and his campaign have said he is committed to staying in the race.