WASHINGTON - Democrat Ralph Northam's surprisingly easy victory Tuesday in the Virginia governor's race is a warning to Republicans that President Donald Trump's unpopularity, combined with a deep party split, could cripple their candidates next year. One year after Trump relied on a nationalistic message of cracking down on immigration to win the presidency, Republican Ed Gillespie's emphasis on many of those same issues ricocheted as he was defeated in the Virginia's governor contest by almost 300,000 votes while the GOP lost 15 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates.