It's never an off year for Virginia elections. This November, Republicans are not only looking to defend their majority in the state House of Delegates, but to retake the state Senate as well. Republicans managed to take control of the House of Delegates in November 2021, the same year Gov. Glenn Youngkin won, the first Republican governor elected since Bob McDonnell in 2009. Youngkin is once more looking to help his fellow Republicans, and he has high approval ratings to boot. There's also been chatter about what hopes lie ahead for what other political ambitions Youngkin may have in mind, though, and if it matches up with what others are asking of him.
Earlier this week, Youngkin was trending over Twitter in part due to a poll showing him with his highest approval rating yet. According to a Morning Consult poll for April 1-June 30, he enjoys a 57 percent approval rating, while 32 percent disapprove, giving him a net of +25. Youngkin's approval rating has been going up, while his disapproval rating has been going down or remaining steady.
Morning Consult: Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's approval rating hits all-time high
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 24, 2023
Approve/Disapprove:
Jan '22: 51/35 (net +16)
Apr '22: 53/35 (net +18)
Dec' 22: 55/34 (net +21)
April 23: 56/32 (net +24)
JULY 23: 57/32 (net +25)https://t.co/1Xs4qw7fRv pic.twitter.com/41yuZNnAn3
Those approval ratings also has him in the top half of the country's most popular governors, as he ties for the tenth highest popularity rating. Also in the news this week is the $5.1 billion surplus that Virginians have enjoyed under Youngkin, as well as his education policies that continue to protect parental rights.
Exit polls show Youngkin won with voters who considered the economy and parents rights to be important issues in the 2021 election. He was running against, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA), who had been elected in 2013 but was prohibited from running again in 2017 due to the state constitution prohibiting governors from serving consecutive terms.
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NEW: America’s Most Popular Governors:
— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) July 28, 2023
Scott (R-VT): 76%
Gordon (R-WY): 69%
Green (D-HI): 64%
Sununu (R-NH): 64%
Beshear (D-KY): 64%
Noem (R-SD): 63%
Dunleavy (R-AK): 62%
Ivey (R-AL): 62%
Lamont (D-CT): 62%
Justice (R-WV): 62%
*April 1-Jun. 30, 2023https://t.co/fAVc2SppYO pic.twitter.com/oANujlNWpq
As Youngkin successfully leads Virginia, there are those looking to see if he'll be a late entry for the 2024 presidential election, especially those who may be concerned with having former and potentially future President Donald Trump as the nominee for a rematch of 2020 against President Joe Biden.
The chatter has been there for months, but it's been particularly increasing as Youngkin's approval ratings in Virginia continue upward, and Trump's frontrunner status solidifies.
On Friday morning, USA Today published "Big donors leave DeSantis, want Glenn Youngkin to run in 2024. Here's what Youngkin says."
"It's really humbling when people talk about 2024 and a national role for me. And I thank them, and then I reiterate that I've got a big job to do here," the governor said in response. Nevertheless, the article still mentioned "the big names crossing their fingers, nonetheless," including Billionaire businessman Thomas Peterffy and Fox News' Rupert Murdoch.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) is including in a POLITICO magazine piece released Friday morning, in which he referenced Youngkin as a possible contender during an interview with John Catsimatidis' "Cats Roundtable" in April. He more recently mentioned the governor's name as well.
Gingrich even thinks that Youngkin could have a path to victory in the same way that 1940 Republican nominee Wendell Willkie did, a dark horse candidate who was nominated on the sixth ballot at the convention.
It’s NEWT:
— Jonathan Martin (@jmart) July 28, 2023
Newt Gingrich, who thinks Trump is “almost certainly” going to be the GOP standard-bearer, said because of his wealth and potential appeal Youngkin “is an overnight serious national candidate” and likened his potential path to that of Wendell Willkie
Macaulay Porter, a spokeswoman for the governor, offered a statement in response to Youngkin's rising popularity. "Governor Youngkin is rising in popularity because he is keeping his promises to Virginians and the results speak for themselves. Governor Youngkin has created 200,000 jobs since his inauguration, he's recruiting companies to Virginia, transforming our workforce development in Virginia, revamping how government works for the people, and Virginians are happy with his leadership," she told Townhall.
The governor and his office have long maintained that his focus has been on making Virginia a place where residents can succeed.
Regardless of what he ends up doing for the 2024 November election, Youngkin is supremely focused on this November, a little more than three months away. Youngkin helped his party take back control of the House of Delegates through some impressive coattails in 2021, and there's no indication he can't do it again in another major statewide election.
He's also capitalizing on the early voting system that his campaign used to win in 2021. As Townhall has reported, Youngkin earlier this month released Secure Your Vote Virginia in partnership with the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus (VSRC), and the House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC), as a way to further embrace early voting in hopes to expand Republican control of the commonwealth.
Democrats have taken notice to complain, which only goes to highlight how desperate they are.
Your vote matters and we’re going to need engagement from everyone interested in moving Virginia forward to be successful. We fundamentally believe Secure Your Vote Virginia is how, together, we can win in 2023 and beyond.
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) July 11, 2023
Visit: https://t.co/yq83ly0Z8Y pic.twitter.com/5BiIEQNkRJ
Republicans don't enjoy a trifecta with the Virginia state legislature, at least not yet. Should that be the case following this November, it will certainly be interesting to see what Youngkin gets to do with a more unified government.
If he plays his cards right, perhaps the 56-year-old Youngkin can be a leading contender for higher office in 2028, should he indeed be looking at such options.
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