On Nov. 3, 2021, after running a strawman-filled campaign, Glenn Youngkin was elected Governor.
Ever since he began his campaign Youngkin has had larger goals in mind. By flipping the state House, and the governorship red in a left-leaning swing state, Youngkin had proved himself to his party.
Virginia, for long, has been seen as an indicator state for the political future of the nation. After the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election democrats feared that the congress would en masse flip red. Holding off, democrats managed to retain the US Senate.
Youngkin agrees, saying “Virginia is the test case”, according to the New York Times. Flipping the state legislature would empower the governor to further his agenda, and add more fuel to his character.
With the General Assembly under his belt Youngkin will continue the culture wars that he ran on, signing and encouraging legislation against transgenders, banning abortion at 15-weeks, and move forward on his educational crusade.
In a split legislature Youngkin hasn’t yet been able to accomplish these wins for his party, making the Nov. 7 state congressional election especially consequential.
Virginia educators got a preview of aspired Republican educational changes at the beginning of Youngkin’s term when he created a Critical Race Theory ‘tip line’, where Virginia parents could report any instances of CRT in their child’s classroom.
Critical Race Theory is a college level approach examining the effect of race on public policy, and has never been practiced in Virginia schools.
Many, including Rupert Murdoch, the former chairman of Fox News, have suggested that Youngkin launch his bid for the presidency.
At the beginning of the summer many suspected Youngkin would jump into the race. His aides however, have asserted that the governor is focused on one thing, flipping the General Assembly.
Before running for Governor, Youngkin was a moderate Republican, but as the election went on he realized that his old fashioned republicanism wasn’t going to cut it.
His campaign adjusted through various means. Savvy political moves such as embracing Donald Trump in more rural, conservative regions, but rejecting him in the more blue suburbs became central to his strategy.
Youngkin recalculated, making culture wars a pillar of what would become his governorship.
After a debate with former Governor Terry McAuliffe, his democratic opponent, just weeks before election day ad cycles were filled with an out of context clip of McAuliffe saying that parents should have limited intervention in school curriculum.
This revision in campaign strategy highlights how Youngkin has evolved into what is now considered a run of the stream republican.
Though unclear what he intends to do after Governorship it’d be foolish to say Youngkin doesn’t have future aspirations.
Senator Tim Kaine is up for reelection in 2024, a seat that Youngkin could very well be eyeing. Fighting against an incumbent Senator is historically challenging however. Especially when your opponent recently won with 57 percent of the popular vote, according to Politico.
The Presidential Cabinet, the US Senate, or even a seat in the House of Representatives may be seats Youngkin is aiming to fill.
With his change in strategy, and focus on locking down the General Assembly, Youngkin surely has future plans. An advance in his agenda will further popularize him, but if he fails to traverse Virginia politics cautiously his house of cards will come tumbling down, and there will be no future in Virginia for Youngkin.
