Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin was poised to defeat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, according to unofficial results showing him about to become only the fourth Republican to win the office in the past 40 years in what used to be a solidly red state.
By 9:15 p.m., Youngkin was well on his way to thwarting McAuliffe’s attempt to retake the office he left in 2018, with a strong showing in both rural and suburban areas. The Cook Political Report editor Dave Wasserman called the race for Youngkin along with the Republican Governors Association.
In unofficial returns, he had 54% of the vote to McAuliffe’s 45.4% with 74% of precincts reporting.
The race tightened as it was driven by culture wars in public schools across the nation, including in Virginia’s populous but liberal Loudoun and Fairfax counties, both suburbs of Washington.
Youngkin, 54, would be the first Republican to win the governor’s mansion since Robert McDonnell in 2010. Seven of the state’s last 10 governors (including 64-year-old McAuliffe) were Democrats.
The Virginia Constitution forbids consecutive four-year terms for governors. Since 1830, William Smith, Mills Godwin and Mills Godwin have been governors.
Two sexual assaults this year at public high schools in Loudoun County, the state’s fourth-largest jurisdiction, activated many parents, who already were protesting the school system’s use of critical race theory to frame lessons.
Parents criticized the Loudoun County School Board for badly mishandling and covering up the sexual assaults, which local law enforcement concluded were committed by the same teenage boy, who reportedly wore a skirt into a girls’ restroom where the first assault occurred in May.
The school board was previously criticized for its policies on (*)(transgender students August) and an adopted promising “a racially conscious, identity-affirming and culturally responsive learning space for every student and employee.” equity planYoungkin, who in the beginning
hot button culture issues such as abortion with caution, leaned hard on McAuliffe’s comments about parents and schools. approachedThe Republican candidate also stressed the dangers associated with critical race theory in schools and political ideology in schools. He cited Loudoun County, Virginia, as an example of what progressive politics would do to public schools.
“I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” McAuliffe
during a September gubernatorial debate–a comment that proved to be highly effective marketing content for the Youngkin campaign. said“I believe parents should be in charge of their kids’ education,” Youngkin
. counteredWinsome Sears, a former state delegate, is the GOP candidate
, led by the Democrat, state Delegate Hala Ayala. This was 54.5% less than 45.5%lieutenant governorAnd in the race for Virginia’s third statewide office,
State Delegate Jason Miyares, an Republican, led Democratic incumbent Mark Herring (54.1% to 46.9%).attorney generalMcAuliffe campaign
Youngkin was a candidate to link with former President Donald Trump. The Democrat also campaigned alongside President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama. frequentlyMcAuliffe is also available.
Youngkin of using “racist dog whistles” to rally voters. accused“Do you really want, parents here, sending your child to first grade where the teacher’s not vaxxed and they’re not wearing masks?” McAuliffe
Monday’s campaign event. “Well, that’s what you get with Glenn Trumpkin.”askedAt a Monday night Youngkin rally in Loudoun County, many parents told The Daily Signal that they support Youngkin out of a desire to retain more control over their children’s education and to avoid the pitfalls of progressive education such as critical race theory.
“I’m Hispanic, descended from Belize but raised in America,” one father told The Daily Signal as the crowd waited for Youngkin to arrive. “I absolutely love America, so that’s why I’m here.”
“I like the fact that he’s standing up for parents,” the father explained, calling Youngkin a “believer” in God who has promised to ban critical race theory in schools.
Over 25 years, he rose to various leadership positions at The Carlyle Group in Washington. He resigned as co-CEO in 2020. In his first bid for elective office, he defeated six other candidates at a state convention to become the GOP’s nominee for Virginia governor.
YoungkinBorn in Richmond, Youngkin attended Rice University on a basketball scholarship, graduating with bachelor’s degrees in managerial studies and mechanical engineering. In 1994, Youngkin received an MBA at Harvard Business School.
An influential Democrat in the country
was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton’s reelection campaign in 1996, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.McAuliffeMcAuliffe, who first made his mark as a real estate investor and developer, won the 2013 race for Virginia governor by defeating Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Libertarian Robert Sarvis. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., he received a bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and, in 1984, a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
McAuliffe paid $53,000 to Marc Elias, a lawyer who assists Democrats in high-profile election cases. He has also helped many Democrats win elections at the last minute. This was interpreted by some political observers as a sign of the former governor’s willingness to fight for a close result.
At least 1.14 Virginia residents voted early, or roughly submitted one fifth of the state’s
CNBC 5.9 million electorate, citing the Democratic data firm and the Virginia Department of Elections.reportedCNBC reported that early voting was six-times more popular than 2017, when at most 189,890 voters had sent in early ballots. TargetSmart was also cited.
Ken McIntyre contributed this report.
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