Yet while Mr. Murphy is comfortably ahead, Mr. Northam is locked in a competitive race. While Virginia is increasingly Democratic — Mr. Obama carried it twice — voter turnout plummets when it holds its governor’s election the year after a presidential vote. As they spoke at the rally, Mr. Northam and the Democratic governor he hopes to succeed, Terry McAuliffe, were, however, glad to link Mr. Trump and Mr. Gillespie. Mr. Obama was far more restrained discussing Mr. Gillespie’s criticism of Mr. Northam for supporting the removal of Virginia’s Confederate statues. When it was his turn to speak, Mr. Murphy was more blunt in criticizing Mr. Trump’s record.

Source: New York Times October 20, 2017 04:01 UTC