More issues, less Trump: GOP sees model after Virginia win
By JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Republicans have struggled to deal with Donald Trump since the day he announced his candidacy for president. But after Glenn Youngkin’s stunning victory in the Virginia governor’s race and a close loss in New Jersey’s, party leaders believe they have settled on a model that can deliver them big wins in next year’s midterm elections. By tapping into culture battles over issues like school curricula, the GOP can energize Trump’s loyal base. But party leaders believe they can also win back suburbanites who abandoned the GOP during the Trump era by talking about local issues like taxes and keeping the former president at arm’s length.