Republican Youngkin wins Virginia governor’s race – media

FAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 2 (Reuters) – Republican Glenn Youngkin was elected the next governor of Virginia on Wednesday, defeating former Governor Terry McAuliffe in a demoralizing setback for the Democrats ahead of next year’s statewide congressional election.

The US media CNN and NBC predicted that Youngkin had won.

Youngkin, a former private equity manager who has never held an elected office, sold himself off as a political outsider while trying to convince voters in the suburbs on key issues like how to deal with the discussion about racism in schools and COVID-19 -Gather mask mandates in classrooms.

The 54-year-old rose in the polls in the weeks leading up to the election, filling the gap with McAuliffe by gaining ground among independents and female voters.

These groups proved essential to Youngkin’s victory in a southern state that has been democratic in recent years. Former President Donald Trump, who backed Youngkin, lost Virginia 10 percentage points on his 2020 re-election bid.

The governor’s contest outcome is widely viewed as a barometer of the country’s political direction towards the 2022 midterm elections that will determine the control of the U.S. Congress – and thus the future of President Joe Biden’s political agenda.

Youngkin succeeds outgoing Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat. Virginia state law does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms. McAuliffe, 64, was governor from 2014 to 2018.

McAuliffe had tried to tie Youngkin with Trump at every turn. His loss could be a sign that Democrats can’t expect to run against the former president if he’s not at the top of the vote.

Supporters of Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, begin gathering at his election night rally in Chantilly, Virginia, United States, November 2, 2021. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

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The competition between Youngkin and McAuliffe was heavily focused on political culture wars.

Youngkin became an advocate for parents who want their say in the curriculum, a message aimed specifically at suburban voters for whom education is an important issue.

He leaned on the Republican Party’s outrage over the discussion of systemic racism in schools. He promised to ban the teaching of “critical racial theory,” a legal framework that studies how racism affects US laws and policies, ignoring the fact that Virginia schools do not teach the subject.

Youngkin’s agenda also focused on issues Republicans expect to increase voter turnout in 2022, such as public safety, electoral integrity, and freedom from COVID-19 vaccine and mask obligations.

Youngkin drew sharp criticism from Democrats when he initially hesitated to denounce Trump’s insistence that he was “robbed” of the 2020 elections, false claims that continued to anger his supporters and resulted in a January 6 mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol.

Youngkin later said Biden had legitimately won but then called for a review of Virginia voting machines, a move that led Democrats to accuse him of confirming Trump’s electoral conspiracy theories.

Youngkin, the clear ex-boss of the Carlyle Group Inc (CG.O), presents a completely different figure than the bombastic Trump.

But their similar campaign stories – both businesspeople and political underdogs defeating established Democratic leaders – suggest that a Trump-like candidate still has some appeal to swing voters.

Reporting by Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter, Jason Lange, and Andy Sullivan; Edited by Colleen Jenkins, Jonathan Oatis, and Peter Cooney

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/too-close-to-call-virginia-governors-race-headlines-us-elections-2021-11-02/