There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there’s more than one way to own the libs. In recent years, we’ve been greeted by a healthy dose of the smashmouth approach, with politicians like Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis excelling at frontal assaults.
However, the subtler way to win is to tell your enemies to go to hell—in a way that leaves them looking forward to the trip. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin—who won as a Republican in a blue-trending state while emphasizing issues like critical race theory in schools—excels at this technique. When it comes to waging the culture war, he yields a kinder, gentler machine gun hand.
There is also reason to believe that Youngkin—who cannot, by law, run for re-election—might just be the smart post-Trump leader for Republicans. (Indeed, as Politico reported, the Virginia governor is “preparing to take a step into national politics by launching a pair of new political groups.”)
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Youngkin outperformed Trump in every part of Virginia in the 2021 gubernatorial race, ranging from deep-blue to deep-red counties. And one hundred days into his governorship, Youngkin continues to present what The Washington Post describes as “a mix of sunny determination and partisan fare.” Youngkin has avoided stoking large DeSantis-style national controversies, even as he honored campaign pledges by banning the teaching of CRT in Virginia public schools and setting up a tip line for parents to complain about teachers and administrators.
“I see Glenn Youngkin doing similar policies as DeSantis, but not being such a lighting rod,” Matthew Continetti, author of The Right, told me recently. “And as I study the history of the American right, it’s that ability to not be the lightning rod that is the way to actually attract independent voters and suburban voters… and this is something that the right has forgotten since Reagan.”
Youngkin’s sunny charm offensive didn’t end on Election Day, either. Right after winning, Youngkin met with his Democratic predecessor, then-Gov. Ralph Northam. It was a civil and friendly discussion about the transition between administrations.
“Today was the beginning of a friendship and I appreciate that,” Youngkin said. Northam was equally gracious. Contrasted with Trump’s refusal to even show up at Joe Biden’s inauguration, Youngkin’s meeting with Northam felt like a throwback to a bygone era of civility.
Youngkin then donated his first quarter’s salary to a law enforcement assistance fund. And just last week, he celebrated Earth Day by planting trees with kindergarteners.
If Trump were not lingering in the field, it’s very likely that Youngkin and DeSantis might represent the two viable directions for the GOP.
The contrast was perhaps summed up best by The Atlantic’s David Frum, who told me: “Hand Glenn Youngkin a baby and he’ll kiss it; hand Ron DeSantis a baby, and he’ll punch it.”
Perhaps a big tent has room enough for both inclinations? Just as neoconservative Bill Kristol and paleoconservative Pat Buchanan both fit in Ronald Reagan’s “big tent,” Youngkin and DeSantis both reside in the house of Trump. And this is the only place to be on the right. For better or worse, the post-Trump Republican Party will not revert to a Romney-Ryan ethos anytime soon.
Both Youngkin and DeSantis also benefited from their national brands developing after Trump had long been on the scene. That timing means they don’t carry the same embarrassing baggage as Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz (whose political generation will not likely be allowed to carry us into the promised land).
Both Youngkin and DeSantis are also governors, which gives them executive experience and demonstrated leadership via accomplishments, as well as a much-needed buffer from national politics.
In my view, either governor would be an upgrade from Trump; however, Youngkin’s hybrid model is clearly the better choice. Youngkin has (so far) demonstrated his ability to hold working-class rural voters who care about culturally conservative issues, while simultaneously performing better than Trump among college-educated suburbanites.
There, however, remains the ever-present elephant in the room: Donald Trump.
Timing is everything in politics, and if Trump runs again and wins in 2024, it seems unlikely that Ron DeSantis could maintain his current level of buzz and relevance until 2028. Likewise, Youngkin will be out of the governor’s mansion after 2025. What does he do for the following three years? In politics, you’ve got to strike while the iron is hot.
Trump’s 2016 entrance into the GOP primary field interrupted an internecine battle between the more optimistic Marco Rubio and the more populist (yet still a constitutional conservative) Ted Cruz. Eight years later, Republicans may yet again miss out on witnessing the outcome of a similar head-to-head battle—because Trump sucks up all the oxygen.
Republicans have two popular, young governors, each broadly in the MAGA mold but with very different temperaments. Youngkin, in my estimation, is the better of the two. Regardless, Republicans should look to the future.
Even if Trump were to run and win in 2024, he could only serve one term. Either Youngkin or DeSantis could represent the future of the GOP. But the question is: will GOP voters not throw away their shot?
