There were many elections around the country that didn’t go Republicans’ way this week.
The one individual who may have suffered the biggest defeat, though, was Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. While Youngkin himself wasn’t up for re-election, his future in the position is in question after Democrats captured both houses of the Virginia legislature this week.
Youngkin had been encouraging voters to get out and give the GOP full control of the state government. That didn’t happen, though, with the Republican Party suffering major losses in the commonwealth.
Now, the person who is considered a future potential contender for the White House could find the last two years of his first term in office quite difficult.
A veteran political analyst from Virginia, Bob Holsworth, commented about the Virginia election to media outlet The Hill:
“I think it has done in any immediate thought of any national aspirations. There will be a firesale on red vests for that,” referring to one of the signature staples of Youngkin’s wardrobe.
Youngkin has quickly soared up the political ladder after taking down Terry McAliffe, the former Democratic governor of Virginia, during the 2021 election. Not long after that victory, he instantly was mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential candidate.
Some people as recently as earlier this year said that Youngkin might decide to actually challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
While that didn’t happen, Youngkin’s political star still shined bright – until this week, that is. Now, plenty of Democrats and even fellow Republicans are pointing fingers his way for the monumental losses in the state.
On Wednesday, Brian Kilmeade, an anchor on Fox News, quipped:
“What an epic failure by Governor Youngkin. This is a huge loss for him, who everyone looked at – if not in ‘24, which I thought was a long shot – definitely ‘28.”
With Democrats now controlling both houses of the Virginia Legislature, it’s likely that the next two years are going to be defined as a gridlock for policies in the state. That’s because liberals are quite far apart from where the Youngkin administration is on many key issues.
Youngkin was preparing to push a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, with some limits, but now that seems like it has no chance of passing under the new makeup of the legislature.
As Holsworth said about Youngkin’s position in Virginia:
“He looks weakened. His capacity to put forward and implement a conservative agenda is gone. He’s going to be so constrained by the Democrats that his accomplishments will not be the kind of accomplishments that move people on a national stage any longer.”
Youngkin naturally wasn’t as negative during a press conference he held on Wednesday, though he did say the results of this week’s election were “disappointing” to him.
He said:
“Abortion is potentially one of the most difficult topics in Virginia and the nation. I do believe there is a place we can come together, common ground. This is difficult. I’m hopeful that the dialogue we’ve started can continue.”
