Democrats have dashed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s dreams of a Republican sweep in Virginia—and put a damper on the Republican’s presidential buzz while they were at it.
After Tuesday’s elections, Democrats will maintain control of both the state Senate and House of Delegates, according to the Associated Press.
Democrats’ narrow majority in the state Senate is enough to deny Youngkin unified control of government in Richmond—a goal he spent months and millions of dollars trying to sell to Virginia voters.
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The Democratic victory is indeed a gut punch for Youngkin, who has invested heavily in fundraising for the state-level races. His Spirit of Virginia PAC has hauled in over $22 million since March, with the governor raising $4.4 million of the funds from megadonors over just two days in October.
As Youngkin flirts with an eleventh hour run at the White House in 2024, the governor had hoped to boost his national profile by proving he could grow Republican majorities in a state President Joe Biden won solidly in 2020. Instead, the election results cast doubt on whether Youngkin can deliver on a national stage.
For Democrats, Tuesday’s result is likely to be seen as a vindication of their abortion-centric campaign strategy heading into 2024.
The fight for reproductive rights has invigorated voters to turn out for Democrats on a national scale since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Youngkin has backed a 15-week abortion ban—down from the state’s current restrictions after 26 weeks—igniting a Democrat attack blitz that cast Virginia GOP candidates as anti-abortion extremists.
Those Democratic efforts appear to have persuaded voters even as Virginia Republicans framed their 15-week proposal as “common sense” and hammered on other issues like crime, education and the economy.
Ahead of election day, Youngkin vowed in a “closing message” ad that GOP majorities would unleash his agenda.
“Elect a Republican team to back me up and I promise, we’ll deliver,” Youngkin said.
With their victories on Tuesday, Democrats have safeguarded a counterweight to Youngkin’s conservative agenda in Richmond. Falling short of a Republican sweep, Youngkin will continue to be stonewalled as he pursues priorities like relaxed gun restrictions, tax cuts and harsher criminal penalties—which have been hamstrung in the first half of his term by the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Youngkin is scheduled to serve as governor until his term ends in 2025. Under Virginia law, governors cannot seek consecutive terms in office.
While Youngkin had kept the door open to a late challenge for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, the unlikely scenario has only grown less plausible now that his high-profile effort to reclaim control of the state house has failed.
