October 17, 2016, 02:05 pm
Trump still competing in Virginia: report
By Rebecca Savransky
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is still competing in Virginia despite word that he was shutting his operation there, CNN reported.
Trump's campaign is scheduled to begin airing television spots in Virginia on Tuesday as part of a $2 million ad buy in "key markets," according to the network.
The campaign also reportedly announced the creation of a 19-member Virginia leadership team.
Last week, NBC News reported that the GOP nominee's campaign was pulling out of Virginia, saying headquarters had announced the move in a conference call with staff.
According to CNN, Trump called his Virginia state director, Mike Rubino, after the report surfaced and said he is not going to withdraw. He also offered to give his state director necessary resources to continue the race.
One source on last week's Trump campaign call told The Hill that the discussion was only about moving some staffers to North Carolina during the state's round of early voting. The source disputed the idea that the Trump campaign is giving up on Virginia while acknowledging the polls are trending in favor of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Another source who was not on the call but briefed by those who were added that a significant number of Virginia staffers were remaining in place. But that source admitted that the shift did signal a prioritization of North Carolina over Virginia.
The Trump campaign has nearly 30 paid staffers in Virginia who are working to get people to vote in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the state, according to CNN.
Trump is currently polling Clinton in Virginia, according to the RealClearPolitics average. Clinton has an 8.7-point lead over Trump in Virginia, 45 percent to 36.3 percent.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/301370-trump-still-competing-in-virginia-report
