Kate Magee Joyce/Youngkin for Governor Campaign via AP
After a lengthy and convoluted process, Virginia Republicans finally have a candidate for this year’s race for governor. Glenn Youngkin, the former CEO of the investment firm The Carlyle Group, won the drive-thru convention held across the state this past weekend, emerging victorious from a crowded field that featured another businessman-turned politician (Pete Snyder), a self-proclaimed “Trump in heels” (Sen. Amanda Chase), and longtime legislator Del. Kirk Cox.
As my friend and colleague Ed Morrisey notes at Hot Air, however, there are still some lingering questions about where Glenn Youngkin stands on the Second Amendment.
Political novice Youngkin wins GOP nod for governor
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Glenn Youngkin secured the Republican nomination Monday night when Pete Snyder, his closest of five rivals, conceded during counting of the conventionâs âranked-choiceâ ballots. Virginians have made it clear that they are ready for a political outsider with proven business experience to bring real change in Richmond. Glenn Youngkin
⢠Office sought: Governor, as Republican nominee.
⢠Work: Co-CEO, The Carlyle Group, Washington, D.C., 2017-20; other positions with private equity firm, including chief operating officer, 1995-2017.
⢠Education: Masterâs degree, business administration, Harvard University, 1994; bachelorâs, mechanical engineering and managerial studies, Rice University, 1990.
Virginia Republicans have chosen businessman and first-time political candidate Glenn Youngkin to be their nominee for governor. I am prepared to lead, excited to serve and profoundly humbled by the trust the people have placed in me, Youngkin said in a statement late Monday, after his victory was secured. Virginians have made it clear that they are ready for a political outsider with proven business experience to bring real change in Richmond.
Youngkin, who has already poured more than $5.5 million of his personal funds into his campaign, emerged from a bruising nomination fight with six other candidates that concluded with a multi-location party convention.
Glenn Youngkin at a rally last week in Chesterfield County, Virginia. (Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Virginia Republicans have chosen businessman Glenn Youngkin to be their nominee for governor. It was a remarkable win for the former CEO of the Carlyle Group, who has not run for office before and was not widely known outside of GOP political circles even six months ago.
The 54 year-old Youngkin pitched himself as a pro-life and pro-gun Christian who was best-positioned to take on Democrats in the vote-rich suburbs of Washington DC, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. He argued he would bring in voters ranging from Never-Trumpers to Tea Partiers to Democrats a necessary recipe in a state where Republicans haven’t won a statewide election since 2009.
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They didn’t go full MAGA, nor did they embrace the Never Trump wing of the GOP. They took a pass on the clear establishment candidate as well despite endorsements from the two most recent GOP governors. Virginia Republicans chose a middle path of sorts yesterday in their convention, selecting a newcomer to run in 2021’s only open gubernatorial election.
It took six rounds to choose Glenn Youngkin, thanks in part to ranked-choice voting. Republicans hope the former CEO of The Carlyle Group investment firm can lead them to reversing a dozen years of futility in Virginia’s statewide elections: