Youngkin takes VA governorship, GOP grabs majority in state house

by sam

Samuel Case, FISM News

Republican Glenn Youngkin is projected to win the Virginia gubernatorial election, defeating Democrat and former Governor Terry McAuliffe. With 99% of the votes in, Youngkin has a 2-point lead over McAuliffe, 50.7% to 48.5%. The win is a massive upset for the GOP in a state that Joe Biden won by 10 points one year ago and hasn’t had a Republican governor for eight years. 

“Together, together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth,” Youngkin said in his victory speech. “And friends, we are going to start that transformation on day one. There is no time to waste. Our kids can’t wait, we work in real-people time, not government time. So on day one, we’re going to work. We’re going to restore excellence in our schools.”

According to the exit polls the economy and the issue of education were driving factors for many voters. More than half of the voters said that parents should have “a lot” of say in their children’s education. 

Virginia became the epicenter of the ongoing battle between parents and school boards nationwide, when it was revealed that the Loudoun County School Board covered up an alleged rape by a “gender fluid” boy in the girl’s bathroom. The boy was transferred to another school in the district, where he reportedly committed a second sexual assault. 

Youngkin made education a central issue of his campaign, as many parents have been at odds with their local school districts over issues such as COVID-19 policy, critical-race theory, and transgender issues. During a televised debate McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” a remark which Youngkin successfully turned against McAuliffe on the campaign trail and in attack ads. 

While Youngkin’s victory will be the most publicized, Republicans performed well all across the state Tuesday night. It’s projected that Republicans will also flip six seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, giving the GOP a narrow majority of 51-49. 

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