Virginia authorities identify suspect in robbery of Trump’s campaign office, issue arrest warrant

Authorities in Virginia identified the suspect in the robbery of Donald Trump's campaign office in the state. It is Toby Shane Kessley, a 39-year-old with a criminal record and no known address for whom an arrest warrant has already been issued.

As reported by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Kessley broke into the office that serves as the headquarters of the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee Sunday night. He entered through the back door and stayed for a few minutes before leaving. However, it is still unclear whether or not he took anything.

"It is rare for a burglary to occur at the office of any campaign or political party. We are determined to identify the suspect, investigate why it happened and determine what he may have taken and what may have been left behind," noted the Sheriff's Office moments after the break-in became known.

The building, located in a suburban office park about 30 miles west of downtown Washington, also serves as the headquarters of the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee.

As for Kessley, he was arrested months earlier in Florida for vagrancy, fraud and criminal impersonation. According to court records, he had already been arrested for vagrancy in Brevard County, Florida, in May 2019.

Who has the lead in Virginia?

Although Republicans won six of Virginia's last ten presidential elections, the trend is much more favorable to Democrats, who won the previous four under Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who did it twice.

When Biden was still up for re-election, polls showed a scenario of extreme parity, even favorable to Donald Trump. For example, according to the latest Emerson College poll, the Republican was two percentage points ahead of the still-president, 45% to 43%.

"In a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020, the president is now essentially tied with Trump. Independent voters break for Trump, 46% to 38%, a group that broke for Biden in 2020 by double digits," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, explained in mid-July.

However, Kamala Harris' candidacy is expected to improve significantly the Democratic Party's numbers in the Old Dominion State, which hasn't delivered its voters to a Republican since 2004.