President Donald Trump predicted Thursday that Republican Ed Gillespie will be a "great governor" of Virginia, while his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 7 election is weak on crime and bad for the economy of the Old Dominion.
Trump's tweets come as the gubernatorial campaign took a dramatic turn with a new poll Wednesday showing for the first time a substantial 8-point lead for Gillespie over Democrat Ralph Northam, the current lieutenant governor.
Once a reliably conservative state, Virginia has leaned toward Democrats in recent elections. Hillary Clinton won the state by more than 5 percent in the 2016 presidential race. Former President Barack Obama won Virginia in both of his elections.
Northam is trying to make the election a referendum on Trump, while Gillespie is hammering the Democrat over crime and jobs.