Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is preparing to fan out across the country to stump for Republican candidates on the midterm election ballot as he tests his appetite for national politics and a possible 2024 presidential bid.
Youngkin raised $2.64 million into his political action committee, Spirit of Virginia, a state-regulated PAC without contribution limits, from Jan. 1 through June 30, according to figures shared with the Washington Examiner. The governor’s haul more than doubled what his three immediate predecessors raised during their first six months in office and reveals a chief executive not content to return to private life after concluding the single, four-year term afforded to him under Virginia’s constitution.
The resources Youngkin is raising into Spirit of Virginia and his relatively new federal political nonprofit group, America’s Spirit, are going toward building a political operation dedicated to expanding the governor’s footprint and influence, beyond the Old Dominion, as he considers a 2024 run for the White House. That effort is taking shape in the form of accelerated travel to states, red and blue, to boost Republican candidates requesting his assistance.
Indeed, Youngkin’s planned travel, the extent of which his political advisers are temporarily keeping under wraps, is intended to show his unique versatility on the national stage. One target is areas where former President Donald Trump’s brand of conservative populism is popular. But Youngkin is also targeting suburban communities and swing states, where traditional Republicans and independents often take a dim view of the former president.
“Gov. Youngkin showed the country what the future of the Republican Party can be,” said Ray Washburne, a wealthy businessman and Republican donor in Dallas. “Youngkin is the fresh new voice the party, and country, needs.”
MIDTERM MEMO: MIKE POMPEO SIGNALS 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY PLANS WITH SOUTH CAROLINA AD
Youngkin, 55, defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) 50.6% to 48.7% in November 2021 in a state that 12 months earlier saw voters choose now-President Joe Biden over Trump by a whopping 54.1% to 44% margin. In doing so, Youngkin recovered ground the GOP lost in the suburbs under Trump, elicited robust support from the former president’s committed supporters, and won independents, becoming the first Republican to capture the governor’s mansion in solidly blue Virginia since 2009.
Party insiders believe Youngkin’s secret sauce is the key to assembling a coalition that would be unbeatable in 2024, one that could net Republicans a national popular vote victory for only the second time in the eight presidential elections held since 1988. Youngkin, quietly intrigued by the national attention, is mulling higher office in part because he is prohibited from running for reelection in 2025. Virginia allows governors to serve multiple terms, but not consecutively.
“As soon as it became clear that Youngkin would win a governor’s race by threading the needle between Trump voters and mainstream suburban voters, he became a viable candidate for president,” said Jim Dornan, a Republican strategist in Washington. “His exploring that possibility doesn’t surprise me at all.”
A Youngkin administration spokesman downplayed the governor’s political activities, answering questions about his plans to help Republicans in the fall with a list of the legislative priorities he is working on in Richmond. “The governor is just getting started in Virginia and has delivered $4 billion in tax relief, made record investments in education and public safety, and is focused on keeping our communities safe and restoring excellence in education,” Macaulay Porter said.
Youngkin earned millions as a private equity investor before running for governor. He spent $20 million on his gubernatorial race and is expected to write himself another big check should he run for president. The ability to self-fund is not the only advantage he would enjoy over (some) other Republicans. Youngkin, 6 feet, 8 inches tall, is telegenic, affable, and adept at one-on-one retail politics so valuable in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
Youngkin is a throwback to the “happy warrior” conservative of the Republican era defined by President Ronald Reagan, a fact that has not hampered the governor — so far — even though Trump beginning with his first campaign in 2016 popularized combative populism with the GOP base. Youngkin’s supporters say his style works because he is not a centrist, but a committed conservative who, when necessary, fights hard for his principles and those of grassroots Republicans.
Some Republican insiders believe Youngkin’s approach to politics makes him best suited to take on Trump in the GOP primary in 2024, should the former president mount a third campaign.
Trump, these Republicans believe, would necessarily box out competitors attempting to run as his heir. That, in turn, would create an opportunity for Youngkin — neither Trump-lite, nor “Never Trump” — to benefit from the sharp stylistic contrast he would present with the former president. That contrast, combined with his conservative record and broad political appeal compared to Trump’s polarizing image, could prove attractive to primary voters who want to nominate a fresh face — and a winner.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Ironically, Youngkin might be out of place in a Republican field that does not include Trump. In that case, Republican voters would have the option of choosing a pugilistic culture warrior who is similar to Trump, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but who is simultaneously a fresh face.
“He’s the most likely candidate to jump in a race that already has Trump in it. He has nothing to lose given his term limit, and unless you think [Sen.] Mark Warner [D-VA] is not running in 2026, then this is probably his best shot,” said a Republican operative not affiliated with Youngkin.
“He potentially has outsider, disruptor appeal and yet puts the Romney donor wing at ease, which is a rare combination,” this operative added, referring to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. “He also has the scent of victory, which matters to primary voters who will be desperate to not lose after the debacle that has been the Biden administration.”
