Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) rejected rumors that he will be running for president in 2024 after a bruising 2023 election for the GOP in Virginia.
Youngkin said he is “not going anywhere” at a press conference in Richmond, Virginia, when asked directly if he would run for the presidency. He also noted that he is not on the ballot in several early primary states, whose filing deadlines have already passed.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM A ROUGH 2023 ELECTION FOR THE GOP
“Well, let me just be clear, I’m not going anywhere and we still have a divided government, which means that we all have to come together in order to progress legislation,” he said. “And I was looking at it over the course of the last couple of months and the Constitution, it requires both houses to pass the bill and a governor to sign it. So this is still the reality of where we are versus the same place we have been the last two years.”
Youngkin then listed off several things the state has accomplished with a Republican-controlled House of Delegates and a Democratic-controlled state Senate.
“So I’m encouraged that we have demonstrated that we can do this. It still requires us to come together. And I’m here,” he said. “I’m the executive branch and I will continue to invite our leadership from the legislative branch to work with us and deliver these important objectives.”
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Youngkin will now face Democratic majorities in both chambers of the state legislature for the final two years of his term. The governor will be unable to run for a second consecutive term in 2025 due to state law, leaving Youngkin’s political future after his term a mystery for the time being.
The Democratic wins in the Old Dominion, thanks in part to new favorable legislative maps for Democrats, were part of a triumphant night for Democrats and a rough night for the GOP in various states, a year out from the pivotal 2024 presidential election. Democrats picked up major victories in several races nationwide, including in Kentucky and Ohio.
