KQED-FM, FORUM (SAN FRANCISCO) -- Virginia residents hit the polls Tuesday to vote in a governor’s race that has been inflamed by racially-tinged rhetoric. The Republican nominee, Ed Gillespie, centered his campaign around President Trump’s agenda but has held no public events with him. Political analysts say this strategy of “Trumpism without Trump” could be part of the Republican playbook in 2018. Joseph Tuman, professor of Political and Legal Communications at San Francisco, discusses the Virginia race and its implications for future elections.
“I think it’s always important not to over read, or read too much into, the results of a particular local election,” Tuman says. “I would include in that statement, not just Virginia, but also what happened in New Jersey because there are things on the ground in both states that can also explain major contributions to the election outcome in both.”
Tuman adds that the election results in Virginia and New Jersey — where Democrat Philip D. Murphy won the governor’s race to succeed Republican Chris Christie — illustrate a rejection of the Trump status quo.