March 8, 2023: Chatter is growing around the possibility of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) launching a 2024 presidential bid as he seeks to bolster his national profile. (The Hill)
Youngkin has inserted himself into the national spotlight in recent weeks as other potential GOP contenders, including fellow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of Florida, journey outside of their states to test the presidential waters. Last week, Youngkin made an appearance on CNBC’s morning show “Squawk Box” and will participate in a live town hall on CNN on education, a hot-button issue for the GOP primary base. The governor also met with donors in New York last week…
…While political observers interpret Youngkin’s media blitz as a sign he [is] considering jumping into the 2024 arena, those close to him also emphasize that he’s stumping for Virginia’s highly contested state legislature elections this fall…
…Only 42 percent of GOP respondents said Youngkin should seek their party’s nomination, according to the Roanoke College poll.
That same poll and other surveys also show Youngkin trailing former President Trump, as well as DeSantis, who is mulling a run and bolstering his public profile as well…
March 29, 2023: “Please, please, implored the Republican governor of Virginia: Let us “set aside acrimony” and finger-pointing and all the “mental gymnastics of partisanship” that combine to make people so tired and cynical about “politics as usual.” (Politico)
Before setting that aside, however, Glenn Youngkin had some work to do: In the very same speech to the General Assembly in which he urged bipartisan comity, he blamed Democratic predecessors for “systematically lowered” standards for student achievement, “soft on crime” policies that led to rising murder rates, and outsourcing the state’s energy future to “radical bureaucrats in California.”…
…It’s a matter of taste, to be sure, but many people do not find Youngkin painful. His approval ratings among Virginians is at 58 percent, according to a recent Roanoke College poll. Those who recoil at his rhetorical contradictions and the evident calculation behind them are heavily concentrated here around the state capitol: Legislators who resent what they regard as his unseemly haste in pursuing national ambitions, or local reporters stiffed by a governor who doesn’t much care for their questions.
When politicians can play both ends of the keyboard – sounding notes of grievance and aspiration with equal fluency – they often go far. This spring will likely force a decision by Youngkin about how far, and how fast, he wants to try and go. Should he run for president, even as he was only elected governor, his first foray into politics, less than a year and a half ago?
The reasons to be skeptical are fairly simple. The Republican donor and operative class that wants to put Trump out of their misery for good – the people Youngkin will need if he runs – are worried that the field of candidates will grow too large, dividing the anti-Trump vote. Youngkin’s biography, a wealthy private-equity executive known for his earnest religiosity, conveys a superficial resemblance to Mitt Romney. The 2012 nominee was an establishment natural and may have won some suburban independents that Donald Trump never could – but hardly enough to compensate for his lack of populist skills…
…Unlike DeSantis, however, he also pivots at other moments to sound like a Republican version of Bill Clinton’s 1990s centrism. He says the GOP must avoid exclusionary rhetoric and ideological litmus tests. “What I’ve seen in Virginia, and I think I see across this nation, is we in fact have to bring people into the Republican Party, we have to be additive not [rely on] subtraction.”…
…The reality is that Youngkin is less of an updated version of Mitt Romney than he is of someone who actually became president, George W. Bush…
…As he ponders a presidential run, Youngkin presumably is seeking guidance from a higher power than political journalists. Even so, the political press has an obvious interest in the answer: A Youngkin candidacy would be an entertaining addition to the 2024 race. And it would test the hypothesis that there is a future for a brand of GOP politics that lies somewhere between the nihilism of Trumpism and the pallor of Romneyism.
May 19, 2023: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) released a campaign-style video Thursday, further fueling speculation about a possible 2024 presidential bid. (The Hill)
“It’s pretty overwhelming to contemplate the future of American,” Youngkin says in the video, which pulled remarks from the governor’s address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in April…
…The video, which was paid for by the governor’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, comes after Youngkin said earlier this month that he would not head out on the presidential campaign trail this year.
“I’m going to be working in Virginia this year,” he said at an event at the Milken Institute in Washington D.C.
However, the Virginia governor has continued to stoke speculation about a White House run, appearing not to completely rule out a potential 2024 presidential bid, with an aide telling The Hill at the time that Youngkin’s statement about “working in Virginia” was an answer to a question and meant to reiterate that he was focused on his state in 2023…
July 28, 2023: As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign stumbles, high-powered GOP figures are turning their attention to another well-known governor: Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. (USA Today)
Youngkin’s approval rating just hit an all-time high, according to a recent poll in which 57% of Virginia voters said they approved of their governor’s job performance. Te same survey found DeSantis’s popularity had slipped between the start of the year and this summer, with his approval rating dropping four points among Florida Republicans and two points among all voters in the state.
This favorability, along with Youngkin’s record-breaking fundraising efforts, has upped speculation about a 2024 presidential campaign. And some party leaders are increasingly hopeful…
…”It’s really humbling when people talk about 2024 and a national role for me. And I thank them, and then I retierate that I’ve got a big job to do here,” Youngkin told USA Today…
September 13, 2023: Some Republicans are holding out hope that a new candidate – perhaps Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin or Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp – will drop into the GOP presidential primary at the last moment and stop former President Donald Trump from winning the party’s nomination. (NBC News)
But at this late date, even The Flash would have a tough time beating deadlines to get on the primary ballot in some states, according to Republicans familiar with the mechanics of running for president…
…To get on the ballot in states isn’t that hard, but it’s time consuming and can be expensive,” [Nick] Trainer said. “These folks’ carriage in their fantasy land is about to turn into a pumpkin.
In other words, the field is all but set, and Republicans who want someone other than Trump know who their choices are now…
October 17, 2023: Glenn Youngkin was waving off talk about running for the White House back in 2021, before he’d even made it to the Virginia governor’s mansion. (Associated Press)
Brad Hobbs, a childhood friend, told The Associated Press at the time that his ultimate goal was to see the Harvard-educated Republican run for president. Hobbs said he brought it up nonstop, even in front of others, which irked Youngkin…
…Conjecture that Youngkin, who is set to host a major donor retreat Tuesday and Wednesday, might make a late entry into the 2024 presidential race has only grown since his victory nearly two years ago. It could further escalate after next month’s high-stakes legislative elections, where he’s aiming for a GOP sweep…
…But the 56-year-old Youngkin, who in public remarks has demurred but not totally shut the door to a bid, would face logistical campaign difficulties, ballot access hurdles, and – according to interviews around the country over the past week – skepticism from some Republican voters, who either don’t know him well or are locked in on Trump…
…Youngkin, who answers questions about his presidential prospects by saying he’s flattered to be in the conversation but focused on Virginia, is currently in the midst of a hectic final push to the state’s Nov. 7 election, with early voting already underway…
…With less than 100 days until voting starts with Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, Youngkin does not have the kind of campaign organization that a presidential hopeful needs to recruit supporters for caucuses or get voters to turn out in January. Most of the presidential campaigns have organizing since early 2023. Trump also has enormous name recognition, years of organizing experience and established supporters nationwide…
November 8, 2023: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday that he’s “not going anywhere,” and that he remains focused on the state, indicating that he will not be a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. (NBC News)
Youngkin has long left wiggle room in his answers to questions about the 2024 election, even as filing deadlines and other logistical hurdle made the idea of a late presidential bid seem unlikely. Even so, some supporters have long remained interested in the idea of his joining the GOP primary field.
But jumping in now would mean going back on his statement that he’s staying focused on his state.
Youngkin brushed off a direct question about the 2024 race by noting at a post-election news conference that he’s not on the ballot in the early primary states. Youngkin said he was “disappointed” in the state legislative results Tuesday, in which Democrats kept the State and flipped the state House, despite a big Republican push for complete control of state government…
…Virginia Republicans, led by Youngkin, competed to take over the Legislature for the final two years of his term and win the ability to push their legislative proposals. They included a proposed restriction on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But Democrats campaigned hard against the plan and won key swing seats using that message…