Trump attacks Democratic candidate who is a veteran as 'weak' on veterans

Ralph Northam served as a U.S. Army medic for eight years.

ByABC News
November 7, 2017, 7:20 AM

— -- As voters head to the polls today in Virginia's gubernatorial race, President Trump called the Democratic candidate who served as a U.S. Army medic for eight years "weak on our great veterans."

"Ralph Northam will allow crime to be rampant in Virginia. He’s weak on crime, weak on our GREAT VETS, Anti-Second Amendment...and has been horrible on Virginia economy," Trump tweeted from South Korea, where he is in Asia on a five-country tour.

According to his biography, Northam served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, later rising to the rank of major. Northam served eight years of duty as an Army doctor, including during Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War.

PHOTO: Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie in McLean, Va., Sept. 19, 2017.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie in McLean, Va., Sept. 19, 2017.

Northam is facing off against former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie for the governor's seat in a tight race that has become increasingly negative and seen as a proxy for the 2018 midterm elections.

Polls close at 7 p.m. ET in Virginia.

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