Elon Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was widely celebrated by most in the Republican Party and, more importantly, by millions of Republican voters.
However, according to Axios, there are some Republicans who are worried that DOGE cuts could have a negative effect on an upcoming important election -- an election in Virginia that was described as an "early test" of President Trump's policy moves.
The state in question in Virginia, and some Virginia Republicans are worried that DOGE's cuts to federal employee workforces there could have a disastrous effect on the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Internal polling conducted by Republicans is already reportedly showing damage done by federal workforce cuts.
The state of Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of federal workers -- up to and over 5% of the state's workforce, going by some estimations.
That means thousands of those employees, a portion of whom are presumably Republican, have lost their jobs or have been enticed to leave it under the Trump administration, and might not be happy about the situation.
Some institutions and groups, such as the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center, estimated that roughly 32,000 government jobs could be lost in Virginia this year.
With the gubernatorial race expected to be close, some of the affected Republican-leaning federal employees who no longer have jobs could take out their frustrations at the ballot box by voting for the other side or not showing up at all.
Axios quoted:
Northern Virginia is filled with people who suffered the consequences of the DOGE cuts, and it's hard to see them being sympathetic to a Republican candidate who supports the DOGE cuts," said Whit Ayers, a veteran Republican pollster.
Another quote stated:
"I suspect this will be an albatross around the neck of every Republican candidate this year," said Virginia Republican Bill Bolling, a former lieutenant governor.
So far, in Virginia, DOGE doesn't seem to be as popular as it is in other parts of the country.
One poll showed that only 39% of voters there had a favorable view of DOGE.
As far as candidates suffering, the leading Republican candidate for governor is now trailing his Democratic counterpart by single digits outside of the margin of error -- enough to be a concern.
Only time will tell if affected Virginia Republicans will take out their frustrations in the upcoming race.
