Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) denied that Virginia Republicans suffered from his political action committee’s heavy campaigning to restrict abortion during the November elections during a Monday interview. However, the governor also acknowledged the majority of Americans are “living paycheck to paycheck” in remarks that follow a leadership challenge against his allies in the House of Delegates, which was reportedly orchestrated due to frustrations over Republicans’ failure to campaign on the economy.
Responding to criticisms that Virginia Republicans may have suffered due to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC spending heavily in favor of restricting abortion during the 2023 elections, the governor told Bloomberg that campaigning on abortion “was not a mistake.” He seemed to argue the issue gave Republicans something to run on, telling the outlet, “I firmly believe that one of the challenges that we have had as Republicans is we haven’t been clear on what we’re going to do.”
The governor’s interview came after frustration over his Spirit of Virginia PAC’s abortion messaging reportedly helped fuel a leadership contest against Youngkin’s allies in the Virginia House, with one delegate anonymously complaining Youngkin forced Republicans to run “on one of the third rails on politics” during an election in which voters wanted to hear about “inflation, grocery bills, gas bills, fuel costs,” and childcare expenses. Youngkin’s allies ultimately retained their leadership positions.
Additionally, the influential Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) credited the media’s fascination with “Youngkin and his presidential ambitions” for allowing Virginia Democrats to make the election “about state power and the future” of abortion in the commonwealth. Citing their November victory, Virginia Democrats recently unveiled plans to enshrine abortion access into the Virginia Constitution, and have similar initiatives planned to curb the Second Amendment and automatically restore the voting rights of felons.
Youngkin seemed to acknowledge the significance of the economy to voters in his Bloomberg interview. Discussing the state’s decision to plan for a recession in 2024, the governor told the outlet that Virginians’ greatest “challenge is rising cost of living,” with the “Biden economy” seeing “inflation really run away from a lot of folks.” The governor continued, “Sixty percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and I hear it.”
Bloomberg variously described Youngkin as “viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party,” a “potential GOP candidate for the presidency in 2028,” and “appealing to moderate, suburban voters,” but a recent Virginia poll of Republican 2024 presidential candidates, which included Youngkin, showed the governor place in a distant, third place with just 10 percent of support from the commonwealth’s Republicans.
That poll showed Trump in first place with the support of 51 percent of Virginia Republicans, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a distant second with 14 percent, and Youngkin tied with Nikki Halley at 10 percent of support in Virginia.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin.
