First Fox: President Donald Trump's second term election cycle will provide an opportunity for the GOP to break into elections in two Democrat-leaning states, Republican campaign groups said in a memo released Tuesday.
The Republican Leadership Committee (RSLC) announced Tuesday that Republicans will take an offensive stance towards the November election in states leaning towards Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey. The group hopes to take lessons learned from the Democratic interests seen following Trump's first election victory in 2016 and create more winning strategies for Trump's second term, first election cycle.
“The 2025 races in Virginia and New Jersey are challenging, but there are opportunities and strategies to avoid a 2017 recurrence,” RSLC President Edith Jorge Tuneen wrote in a memo published Tuesday outlining the state's strategy. “We are ready to learn from past experiences and fight smarter. With the right resources, we can disrupt the left's plans to break through Democrat bases, advance in major districts, and gain unchecked momentum towards 2026.”
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Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (AP Photo/Steve Helber/File)
New Jersey and Virginia are seeing some important statewide elections later this year. This includes elections for governors and several races of various major seats that prove to be crucial to the balance of power in these states.
Both states also look at local races in major school districts such as Loudoun County, Virginia, and several races for local government employees, such as Jersey City Mayor and Richmond City Commonwealth Attorneys.
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The RSLC strategy says Republicans in both Virginia and New Jersey plan to focus on Democrats' legislative shortcomings on issues like tax, crime and education through digital advertising campaigns rather than focusing on protecting Trump's actions.
“Rideing the momentum of the president's victory in 2016, Republicans were caught off guard in 2017 as Democrats nationalised local races and linked GOP candidates to federal dysfunction,” the group's strategy memo states. “With President Trump returning to the White House, Democrats are licking the chops and not shy about it. They are confident that his comeback will bolster efforts to change the dynamics of power and position 2025 as a vital moment for a critical political restructuring.
New Jersey State Capitol in Trenton (AP Photos/Matt Rourke/File)
RSLC said it intends to continue to promote robust absentee and early voting initiatives in Virginia and New Jersey as part of their 2025 strategy in these states.
The RSLC said it was focusing on the strategy and said it would help prevent Virginia Republicans from increasing their legislative majority in 2023.
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Last year, the RSLC in New Jersey launched a nearly $1 million absentee and email-in voting initiative. The group said it helped to boost GOP's involvement in the state, which stated political experts were on the path to becoming a swing state.
The effort, along with other New Jersey initiatives, such as targeted digital advertising, helped Republicans establish a “strong foundation for competitive performance” in the state's major battlefield regions, RSLC said. The group said it hopes to build on this in 2025, especially in New Jersey House Districts 3, 8, 11 and 30.
“RSLC enters the 2025 election cycle and has a clear understanding of the challenges ahead. While it is difficult to secure positions in Virginia and New Jersey, Republicans are far better than they were in 2017,” the RSLC Strategic Memo concludes.
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“The Republican State Leadership Committee and its associated PACs need to pose serious challenges in 2026, not only to maintain our position, but to prevent us from gaining momentum. All messages of this year and all messages of this year are important.
