Trump forces high
FRONT ROYAL  Va. (Reuters) - Ralph and Mike Waller are such ardent backers of President Donald Trump that they help stage a counter-protest every Wednesday in front of their Front Royal  Virginia  pawn shop  sparring with anti-Trump demonstrators who gather across the street.
“I would like somebody who’s more closely aligned with  Trump  ” Ralph Waller  who is Mike Waller’s uncle  said from the shop floor  racks of pawned rifles behind him.
Gillespie is  in fact  nothing like  Trump   a real estate magnate who had never before held political office  although both are members of the same party. Gillespie is a Washington lobbyist who worked in President George W. Bush’s White House  the kind of establishment mainstay Trump bashed on the campaign trail.
That tension has Gillespie looking to thread the thinnest of needles  trying to appeal to voters turned off by  Trump  while retaining enough of Trump’s passionate base to secure victory.
“If he manages to do this  he’s shown how you engage  Trump  voters while literally avoiding  Donald Trump  ” said Quentin Kidd  a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Newport News  Virginia.
Gillespie has been courting  Trump  voters by focusing on what he says is the threat posed by illegal immigrants  a longtime  Trump  campaign theme. He has criticized “sanctuary cities” and run ads warning of the street gang MS-13  which is largely composed of members from Central America.
But some argue Gillespie is being too cautious. Corey Stewart  who ran against Gillespie in the gubernatorial primary and garnered support from  Trump ’s base  said Gillespie erred in not asking the president to campaign for him and in not doing more to harness the energy  Trump  has stirred.
“ He ’s put the president at a distance  and  he  has offended a lot of the president’s supporters ” Stewart said. “And it could cost  him  the election.”
 Trump  has tweeted  his  support for Gillespie  but that is as far as it has gone.
Gillespie said he appreciated  Trump’s  endorsement but declined to say whether he would ask for more  even parroting  Trump ’s own words in doing so.
FRONT ROYAL  Va. (Reuters) - Ralph and Mike Waller are such ardent backers of [TGT] that they help stage a counter-protest every Wednesday in front of their Front Royal  Virginia  pawn shop  sparring with anti-Trump demonstrators who gather across the street.
“I would like somebody who’s more closely aligned with  [TGT]  ” Ralph Waller  who is Mike Waller’s uncle  said from the shop floor  racks of pawned rifles behind him.
Gillespie is  in fact  nothing like  [TGT]   a real estate magnate who had never before held political office  although both are members of the same party. Gillespie is a Washington lobbyist who worked in President George W. Bush’s White House  the kind of establishment mainstay [TGT] bashed on the campaign trail.
That tension has Gillespie looking to thread the thinnest of needles  trying to appeal to voters turned off by  [TGT]  while retaining enough of Trump’s passionate base to secure victory.
“If [TGT] manages to do this  he’s shown how you engage  [TGT]  voters while literally avoiding  [TGT]  ” said Quentin Kidd  a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Newport News  Virginia.
Gillespie has been courting  [TGT]  voters by focusing on what [TGT] says is the threat posed by illegal immigrants  a longtime  [TGT]campaign theme. [TGT] has criticized “sanctuary cities” and run ads warning of the street gang MS-13  which is largely composed of members from Central America.
But some argue Gillespie is being too cautious. Corey Stewart  who ran against Gillespie in the gubernatorial primary and garnered support from  [TGT] ’s base  said Gillespie erred in not asking the president to campaign for him and in not doing more to harness the energy  Trump  has stirred.
“ He ’s put the president at a distance  and  he  has offended a lot of the president’s supporters ” Stewart said. “And it could cost  him  the election.”
 Trump  has tweeted  his  support for Gillespie  but that is as far as it has gone.
Gillespie said he appreciated  Trump’s  endorsement but declined to say whether he would ask for more  even parroting  Trump ’s own words in doing so.