GOP presents plan to seize legislative majorities in Virginia and New Jersey this November
GOP presents plan to seize legislative majorities in Virginia and New Jersey this November
The Republican State Leadership Committee is looking to make key expenditures in this year’s New Jersey and Virginia state legislature races.
Republicans are wary of how well Democrats tend to over-perform in off-year elections, but they have a strategy to “defy” expectations in November.
In a memo, the RSLC said the races “present significant challenges for Republicans, reminiscent of the complex political landscape of 2017, the last odd-year election Republicans had full control of Washington.”
“The strongest defense against the complete down-ballot takeover Democrats are planning this cycle will require defying expectations in 2025,” the memo said.
“While the 2025 races in Virginia and New Jersey will be challenging, we have the opportunity — and strategy — to avoid a 2017 relapse,” it continued.
The RSLC said Democrats made wide gains in the 2017 and 2018 midterm elections and performed well in recent off-year elections.
In 2017, Democrats flipped the Virginia House of Delegates and expanded their legislative majority in New Jersey. At the federal level, Democrats flipped the House in 2018.
The memo said the RSLC is looking to get ahead of Democratic messaging, which will likely focus on unpopular elements of President Donald Trump’s agenda. It is also planning to point out perceived failures from the current Democratic controlled state legislatures.
The RSLC also said it will emphasize early, absentee, and mail-in voting, practices it was previously skeptical of. Trump also embraced these practices in the 2024 election, despite criticizing them in 2020.
The RSLC said it is looking beyond 2025 in New Jersey and Virginia to the 2026 midterm elections nationwide. It said its spending will not “just to maintain our positions but to prevent Democrats from gaining the momentum they will need to pose a serious challenge in 2026.”
“We are now better positioned, better organized, and more focused than eight years ago in both Virginia and New Jersey, which gives us a significant advantage,” the memo said.
Both states also have gubernatorial races this year.
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In New Jersey, Trump endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who came close to beating Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) in 2021. The Democratic primary field in New Jersey remains crowded.
In Virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) outraised her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, by more than $3 million. Both are front-runners for their respective parties.
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