An Upset in Virginia

By Thad Worth

November’s gubernatorial race was one of the tightest that Virginia has seen in years. After 18 months of lockdown, inflation, Congress in a standstill and controversy over what schools teach, many are desperate for life to improve. In a state that has become an increasingly blue state in recent years, a Republican won the highest political position in Virginia. Before he entered politics, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin worked at The Carlyle Group, an investment and private equity firm, for 25 years and became the co-CEO of the company before he stepped down in 2020. Youngkin has been married to his wife Suzanne for 26 years and has four children. His opponent, former Governor Terry McAuliffe had been in politics since he campaigned for Jimmy Carter in 1976. He has five children and lives in McLean with his wife of over 30 years Dorothy. One thing that is unique about Virginia is that it has its gubernatorial election the year after the presidential election. The only other state that holds elections a year after a presidential election is New Jersey. So all eyes are on these two states, which only increased the pressure on the candidates. Calling for support from top Democrats, McAuliffe called on President Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to raise money and show their support for him. Glenn Youngkin faced an uphill battle against former Governor Terry McAuliffe, who has many connections and friends in the world of politics. With little experience in politics, Youngkin had to tread carefully as he needed Democratic votes if he wanted to win. His opponents said that Youngkin is a radical Photo Credit: The Roanoke Star

Republican Canidate Glenn Youngkin defeats Democratic Canidate Terry McAllife in historical blue state.

Trump supporter with AP News reporting that Terry McAuliffe said he was “bought and paid for” by Mr. Trump. Youngkin has shown his support for former-President Trump by saying that he would vote for him if he ran for president in 2024. Despite facing these challenges, Youngkin managed to beat Terry McAuliffe and win the Gubernatorial race. According to Politico, Youngkin won 50.7% of the vote with 1,677,436 votes, while McAuliffe won 48.6% of the vote with 1,610,142 votes, losing by 2.1% or 67,294 votes. Youngkin cut into the Democratic stronghold of Northern Virginia gaining 44.5% of Loudoun County and 40.9% of Prince William County. On a side note, Northampton County located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, voted 50.6% for Youngkin and 48.7% for McAuliffe. This is almost exactly the same as what both candidates won state wide. Youngkin campaigned heavily in Northern Virginia and its suburbs, but still lost in these areas . Despite this, Youngkin managed to win as he gained a large percentage of the votes in an area that has been the deciding factor in Virginia politics.