Scoop: Trump pours millions into Virginia, New Jersey races

President Trump's political operation is digging into its massive war chest to bankroll a multimillion-dollar voter turnout effort in the final days of the New Jersey and Virginia governor races, Axios has learned.Each state is getting a $1 million-plus microtargeting effort aimed at Trump supporters and other Republicans who usually skip off-year races.Why it matters: The White House knows it's much harder to turn out pro-Trump voters and other Republicans when Trump himself isn't on the ballot.The Trump operation views Tuesday's races as tough, but also a lab to determine how to turn out voters heading into 2026."Virginia has always been an incubator for testing tactics for the midterm election," a Trump adviser told Axios.In New Jersey, the total now invested far surpasses what the Trump operation spent eight years ago, when the pro-Trump forces essentially abandoned the state toward the end of the campaign, Republicans say.Between the lines: In the 2017 New Jersey governor's election, Republicans got only a little more than half of the votes Trump received when he was on the ballot there the previous year. In Virginia, Republicans got two-thirds of Trump's vote total.Driving the news: Pro-Trump entities, including the Republican National Committee, are fueling a "72-hour program" aimed at turning out GOP voters.Republicans are identifying voters who are less likely to turn out by examining their voting histories in off-year elections. Operatives are also poring over lists of voters the Trump campaign identified as less dependable heading into the 2024 election.The operatives plan to then reach those voters through phone-banking and digital and social media ads. In New Jersey, some money is being spent on mailers.In Virginia, much of the focus is on the areas of the state where Trump performed well, including the Richmond and Virginia Beach suburbs and rural Southwest Virginia.Zoom in: Trump himself is holding tele-rallies to rally his supporters. Trump held a tele-rally Thursday evening with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to boost the party's statewide candidates. Just before leaving for Asia last week, Trump held a similar tele-rally for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. That coincided with the start of early voting in the state.Trump may hold additional tele-rallies on Monday evening, according to a person familiar with his plans.The bottom line: Polls have consistently shown the Republican gubernatorial candidates trailing. The race for Virginia attorney general is tight: Jason Miyares, the Republican incumbent, is slightly ahead of Democratic challenger Jay Jones in many late polls.Trump hasn't campaigned in person in either state.

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