Republican Youngkin wins race to become Virginia’s next governor

Virginia elected a new governor Tuesday, concluding months of political campaigning in the state. The Associated Press called the race for Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin at 12:37 a.m. Wednesday morning, providing Republicans with their first statewide win since 2009.

“Alrighty, Virginia – we won this thing,” Youngkin yelled into the microphone while addressing a crowd of supporters in Chantilly after being declared the winner. “We stand here this morning at this defining moment, a defining moment that yes, started with two people on a walk, and a defining moment that is now millions of Virginians walking together.”

Youngkin will be sworn in as the next governor in January. He has no prior political experience after working up the ranks of a private equity firm to eventually become the co-CEO of The Carlyle Group.

After Virginia voted for Joe Biden by 10 points just 12 months ago, many people believed this was a safe race for Democrats. But polling towards the end of the race showed a tightening dynamic, with Youngkin even leading in some.

Youngkin prioritized banning critical race theory in schools (an academic approach that is centered around the idea that the United States was built on systemic racism, which Republicans claim is being implemented into school curriculums, though school districts statewide have denied that) and giving parents more control within public schools in the final months of his campaign. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee, prioritized defining Youngkin as a Donald Trump Republican.

McAuliffe brought the big names in the final weeks to try and drive Democratic turnout. Youngkin largely campaigned on his own with down-ballot tickets drawing large crowds across the commonwealth.
McAuliffe was trying to defy historical traditions in Virginia for the second time by winning the executive mansion in Virginia while a Democrat is in the White House. He narrowly defeated Ken Cuccinelli in 2013 the year after Barack Obama won reelection to a second term.

Prior to that, Virginians elected a governor opposite of the president’s party for decades.

In the final days of the Youngkin campaign, Youngkin enjoyed momentum with a 52-stop bus tour across the commonwealth. The momentum wasn’t always there, however. He stumbled out the gate after winning the nomination in May and continued to stumble throughout the summer.

The governor-elect was hit with a blow when former Trump announced his endorsement of Youngkin the morning after he earned the nomination. McAuliffe and Democrats immediately seized on the endorsement and didn't let it go, attempting to capitalize on the fact that Biden won the commonwealth by 10 points last year. Youngkin at the time said he was honored to receive the endorsement.

“I’m totally honored and I appreciate it this morning,” Youngkin said after Trump’s endorsement. “And it’s reflective of the fact that we’ve received a lot of endorsements, and those endorsements reflect the Republican Party coming together around an outsider.”

Youngkin was able to eventually figure out how to hold Trump at a distance in his campaign to unite Virginia behind mostly large ideals, not specific policy.

“We have a defining moment in front of us,” Youngkin told a crowd in Chesterfield Monday. “To redirect the trajectory of this great commonwealth. A moment where we get to come together and do something spectacular.”

It took months for Youngkin to put forth any sort of policy proposals after earning the nomination. He instead ran a campaign designed to inspire voters to support his vision of a safer Virginia in which critical race theory is banned and the grocery tax is eliminated. The messaging was successful, according to Tuesday night’s results.

Youngkin has prioritized education, but specifically, his focus has been on giving parents more control over the curriculum being taught in schools. The key topic of his education platform since this race began was critical race theory and ensuring it is never taught in Virginia schools.

In general, the concept of CRT is aimed at showing that racism is the result of complex, changing, and often subtle social and institutional dynamics, instead of explicit and intentional prejudices. But even without specific evidence of CRT being taught in Virginia schools, Republican activists across Virginia were able to make it their top issue and a rallying cry for voters.  Each time Youngkin told supporters at campaign events of his intentions to ban CRT on his first day in office, he had to pause for several seconds while the crowd cheered and clapped in a standing ovation.

During his victory speech Wednesday morning, Youngkin promised to introduce school choice options, eliminate the grocery tax, suspend a hike in the gas tax, double the standard deduction, cut taxes on the retirement income of veterans, and replace the entire state parole board on his first day.

The results on Tuesday were resounding.

“The red wave is here! Congratulations to Republicans Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Sears, and Jason Miyares on their incredible campaigns and hard fought victories,” said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. “This Republican sweep in Virginia is a resounding rebuke of the failed policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. Virginians – and Americans across the country – are fed up with Biden’s divisive policies, failed leadership, and a Democrat agenda hurting working families. A Republican wave is coming in 2022, and Virginia is just the start.”

McAuliffe made no immediate concession Tuesday night but did concede later Wednesday morning. His campaign did not respond to questions by the deadline for this article.

In addition to a win from Youngkin, Republicans won the lieutenant governor and attorney general races and took control of the House of Delegates by apparently flipping eight seats, to claim a 52-48 majority. The Senate, over which Lieutenant Governor-Elect Winsome Sears will preside, will remain 21 to 19 in favor of Democrats. Sears will cast tie-breaking votes when necessary, giving the Democrats no margin for error.

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This article first appeared on VirginiaScope.com. It is republished here with permission.