As Virginia’s chief economic pitchman, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has a challenge: how to advance the commonwealth’s interests while holding an institutionally weak hand of cards.

By law, the Virginia governor may not serve consecutive four-year terms, which made him a bit of a lame duck from Day One in January 2022. He can veto bills but has no budget-writing authority, as do some governors. And the Virginia executive is always, to a degree, dependent on the political winds blowing from nearby Washington, D.C.