NORFOLK, Va. — Former President Donald Trump is inserting his opinions into Virginia's race for the governor's seat.
He's backing fellow Republican Glenn Youngkin, calling him "a highly respected person" and "an incredible success."
In the same e-mail, Trump attacked Youngkin's opponent, Democrat and former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, calling him, "a failed and unpopular governor," and "a political hack."
McAuliffe said Friday that he welcomed the attention.
"This is a disgraced president whose company has just been indicted for tax fraud," he said. "The best thing that could happen to me is to have Donald J. Trump attacking me, one of the most disgraced presidents in the history of the United States of America."
Trump lost Virginia by five percentage points in 2016 to Hillary Clinton.
He lost the state again in 2020, by ten percentage points, this time to President Joseph R. Biden.