Also in looking forward to you, its really at the hearing, assuming we dont haveg a cup of shut up fourth, on what more we can do to highlight north koreas atrocious human rights record, and do more to transmit within north korea the truth about they are living it but i think hearing speedy we are leavingt this program but you cn watch it in full if you go to our website cspan. Org. Live now on cspan2 remarks by Virginia GovernorGlenn Youngkin on his legislative priorities picky speaking of Economic Club of washington, d. C. So much fun to be with you. [applause] one of the things people do get started for the volga such a privilege to be here. I just want to say to everybody if anybody in this room has a midlife crisis, run for office. Its awesome, its awesome. Okay. Anybody think of running for anything . By the time with that we would get one convert here. Solve our midlife crisis, what office should one run for. With governor of virginia is a good one because i cant run again. What about another job . There might be other ones. So okay. By the way, the governor of virginia cannot run for reelection consecutively. Its the only state in america where we restricted to one, for your term. But you could change the constitution biggie favor this purpose i will let the next governor worry about that. I view this as a great opportunity to be in hurry. I have clock behind my desk that the day i was inaugurated i said so help me god, we went to work, and the fedex package showed up. I tore it open on a saturday. In it was a clock and it was set for four years in taking backwards. There was a note from jeb bush insight and is a Governor Kemp get moving, time is a taking to i put the clock to my desk never did i look at at at know how many days we have left. Okay. So how many days have you had so far . I think where about 860 left. Wow okay. I would people an introduction to you for a minute if i could then we will go through it, questions but glenn was born in richmond and grew up in norfolk, is that right . Virginia beach. Went to high school there, Norfolk Academy and was a High School Basketball star, recruited by coach k to plant duke or at least be on the duke team. Maybe not to play. Maybe not to play. [laughing] there as i recall he was told by coach k we have a really guy name danny ferry coming in and he is going to be the kind of like instant practice is that right . Maybe i i get to carry his shoes. So glenn decided not to go to duke. He went to rise when he became the cocaptain of the basketball team, and didnt play that much either. Didnt play much there either. But i did meet my wife so it was worth it. Who is now married for 30 years almost. 30 years okay. And he is then went to Harvard Business school and graduated in the top 5 of his class. In between college at rice where he got two degrees, he worked at first boston in houston. Then went to Harvard Business school makers, then went to mckinsey in washington, d. C. And after about you that was recruited to work at carlisle and was there for 25 years and rose up to be our coceo. I did that he was our president and chief operating officer, and at that time i remember telling glenn he had no chance of ever going into politics and getting elected. Something like that probably not schriver asked. [laughing] so okay. So glenn have four children and wife suzanne is some of you met at college i met her right after school. Suzanne went to Southern Methodist in dallas, and we met through a mutual friend. Xi really did want of anything to do with me because xi did know what to do with his crazy virginian. Who would believe that today xi is a first lady of the commonwealth of virginia . So shes happy xi made the decision. I hope so. Glenn, lets start by not ask you something relating to the presidency. Well get to that. Are you happy as governor of virginia . Do you enjoy the job more than a higher calling of private equity . David i know its going to break out the short answer is yes. Its amazing. I went into this because i was worried about virginia and i was frustrated with what the Republican Party was in virginia. And carlyle was in really good shape i do remember when i called you on saturday to tell you i was resigning. I said david, this is Glenn Youngkin and use of wired calling me . Youre quitting. And i said well yeah. He said what he going to do . I said im going to run for office. He said that thats crazy. Im going call your wife, call you back together and talk you out of this nonsense. Yes. What we found david was this is one of these moments that being an outsider was amazing because i brought a different perspective to it and when we were hired by virginians and you virginians, thank you for hiring me, we went to work right away. All of the things that we learned in business are fully transferable into government. You just have to work at it. Lets talk about the campaign. During the campaign you had these baths and people said it was your signature. Was that purpose or you had the leftover and georges wearing them . I got a little cold during the fall and adult like jackets and the heat sweaters. So i started wearing a vast andd i thought i will wear a red once and an republican. Then i started showing up at campaigns anybody else started wearing fast and i thought maybe we stumbled onto something. Read this. And you saw people around the country starting to wear red vest. If you stock any, that makes breadbasket it was a good thing. When you started you had to get the republican nomination which is done at a convention, not any kind of primary. Did you really think an outsider with a private equity background really good when . Well, i wouldnt have done it otherwise but it was real uphill battle. Our first poll came out. We did internally before relaunched. I i had a 2 name id as a whole had a 3 margin of error. I was trying to cling to my wife that it really was a good thing because it was real upside. So you got the nomination but then judgment against a former Governor Terry mcauliffe or you dont really come you did not appetizer i didnt really know terry. He had invested with carla over the years which may be you pointed out at one point or something. Summit mightve pointed it out. He trusted enough to manage his money. Maybe he thought i could be a good governor. When did you think that a good chance of winning that, the night of the lecture did you think is you going for a chance of beating a former Virginia Governor . First of all, basic truth to a campaign, which is the job is to get more votes than the other guy. We felt we had a real chance if we could do three things. One is lose Northern Virginia less bad because republicans have lost Northern Virginia by a lot. And second of all, when Hampton Roads which is right from the never really strong turnout in our traditional republican counties and that was our strategy. And it worked not just because it was a good strategy but it worked really because at the time the issues the one everybodys mind, taxes and Economic Growth, because of was going, going on come out of defendant and jobs being really shut out because virginia was shot, education and the challenges that parents were seen in the education system, a Public Safety was a real challenge. Virginia was that at a 20 r rate. These basic Kitchen Table issues really spread across the commonwealth as the most important issues, not republicans versus democrats, but for virginians. So i do feel like we found ourselves at a moment in time with the things that i believe deeply in Economic Growth and Public Safety and excellent education and making to work better really resonated with virginians. During the campaign does a debate you had with Terry Mcauliffe and so people would say you want at the debate because you pointed out you wanted parents involved an education process. Terry mcauliffe said he did want parents involved. Was at a position you thought through before and you think that was really what made the difference that one statement . We had identified very early on that education was going to be the primary issue in the election in addition to jobs and economic recovery. And as i traveled around the commonwealth i kept hearing over and over and over again from parents that we feel pushed out of our childrens lives and the School System. So we had launched our Parents Matter Initiative long before the debate, and then when mcauliffe basically admitted what i firmly believe is his political philosophy that, in fact, parents shouldnt be involved in deciding what is being taught in schools, it ws a real moment a difference between what i was speaking about and what he believed. And again it wasnt a republican versus democrats moment. It was a parents moment and that really did provide a lot of tailwind. Suppose you had not won. One. What would you be doing today where would you be . Ive equity in your own ovet would you be doing . I didnt have a plan b. Really didnt. When you get elected who called you . That famous people call you to tell you they knew youre going to win all along and they always are supporting you secretly . You called me the day after i think. [laughing] okay. And so a lot of people more famous than me certainly call you and to tell you the thought you had a good chance of winning all along what . We had great support on what we were doing but there was a real uphill battle. Virginia had really become very much controlled by the Democratic Party and we remind yourself that come come looking to into, or, at attorney general were held by democrats. Both senators in washington democrats. Seven out of 11 congressional representative for democrats. The house and senate were controlled by democrats over republicans when was an uphill battle. Down the stretch everybody started to see the momentum that come our way and it was really encouraging because so many folks came out of the woodwork and said hey we are for you and we can help you get it done. So to take a cab that a lot of contacts you would know to virginia for many, many years who were kind of cabinet quality i guess. How did you figure koubek was did you go ask search from to help you, how did you get that cabinet together . We did the exact same thing we didnt carla, looking for a management team. I search firms. We wrote Job Description and set them out on a national search. I got a little bit of heat because it was pretty late in the cabinet building or transition process and we have not named a lot of folks yet because we were waiting for the right people. The very first person at a nominate to our cabinet was a new position, a chief transformation officer because we are one in every business at carlyle. At least for because i called a friend of mine and his head and looking for chief Information Officer to opus transform government. He said the very best person is a guy that the chief Information Officer at mckinsey but theres no way youll ever get it out. His life is really good, living in the small town in virginia called richmond. Eric miller became our chief transmission officer and was our first cabinet nominates. Okay. So what about your staff people, what did you get them . Mostly camping people are people of virginia government experience or your staff . All of the about their we found folks would been in business. Many of you probably worked with Steve Cummings who ran both hollowell and was a senior guy at wachovia and ran ubs. He is virginias secretary of finance. When i called in the first time and he said glenn, i really think about government and it dont live in virginia. I said perfect. Move here. And hes been awesome. Our secretary of education came from minnesota and yet we were still able to recruit folks from an virginia are secretary of the commerce is one name k and xi just stepped down after first 20 much. Xi promised me xi would stay for your and half and xi stayed for 20 months. We just had a great people come to the administration. Do you enjoy the job as much as you appear to be enjoying it . I do. Say dont miss private equity . Not at all. Okay. So today we would use it if you look back today what would you say youre most proud of having achieved in your 20 months or so . David there are two things. First is that when we started in this just tremendous privilege to go to work every day for 8. 7 point people. And had to say from a lot of them everyday, we saw virginia that was really challenged. We were bottom third in job growth, 20 yearmurder rate, our education scores have really dropped. And more virginians were moving away to other states then were moving to virginia for nine years straight. We were a a net exporter of families. Whats been most encouraging is that all of the things we know in business actually can work in government here and so we lowered taxes. We streamlined regulations and guess what, business comic. They create jobs and today virginia is third in the nation in job growth. We reestablish High Expectations in schools and we Just Launched as usually important intensive tutoring program across the entire commonwealth and brooklyn make sure our kids can read and do math. We hired in new Law Enforcement fs 400 million of increased salaries and raises and guess what i was in new york last minute walking down the street and a guy on the nuke waste of our becomes a to b and uses are you Governor Youngkin . I said yeah. He said i just put them a application to come were in the Virginia State police, im coming, im coming. So we can move the needle quickly. In 20 months ive watched it happen quickly, and the ultimate test is where our people choosing to live . I know all of you review data like i do. Its important to read but in 2021 virginia was 31st in the nation in one way you haul trips. One year later we are fifth in the nation and one white uhaul trips right there with florida and texas north carolina, south, and i would be clear ahead of georgia and tennessee and ai called the governors and told them so. So we can, in fact, move the needle quickly im incredibly, incredibly proud of the work weve done. Lets talk about things related to race because thats but a big issue, part of the confederacy. When there is a Confederate Monument, what is your decision, what you been doing and taking down Confederate Monument or repositioning them . I think those one at Virginia Military academy. Arlington cemetery. The decisions on most of the monuments have made and i think that our history needs to be preserved for people to understand and see pics of those monument should be on battlefields or in museums. We have just gone to work on this particular monument which is in arlington cemetery. It was unveiled by Woodrow Wilson as a unification monument. President although it up to barack obama and late recent bitter but the decision was made to move it. And so weve been working across the aisle. Ive had some support from our two senators as well and we can move this to a battlefield in virginia pixel it will be part of our history so people can understand it. I think this is part of the moment that we are in, which is often times there is this distinction is drawn in politics. It is either this or that. And depending on where you come down as what team youre on and i think theres a real moment for both. We can, in fact, recognize the decision was made, but lets have a moment and put the statues summer work history conceivably can understand the history of virginia. Theres a road i think i must have been renewed Jefferson Davis highway in Northern Virginia that is been renamed. Is it Glenn Youngkin highway . I dont know. No. But this process is one that think has been very challenging for people. Its why when i first came in i sit folks i want is to redo our history standards in virginia. Because our history standards should be the best in the nation. And they know the folks may be from maryland or from massachusetts or from pennsylvania and think that those states had a major role in forming our country. But it really started in virginia. Thats a joke. [laughing] the reality of course is that we have to teach all of our history, the good and the bad, and we can teach both, age appropriately. We can have a robust curriculum that introduces to all of our children this very complex history that yes, acknowledges the horrific history of slavery, and yet the great moments of Civil Rights Movement so much of it happened in virginia. So we able to get new history standards passed just recently in the spring. I think they will be the best history standards in the nation. They are already receiving accolades and im looking for to virginia to understand our complete and complex history. When you rant and became governor you are very much against the teaching of Critical Race Theory socalled in virginia schools. It wasnt being taught as i understand it. Why were you so upset about it . It was a really being taught. David dont fall for that trick. Because its not a class. Its actually a philosophy of teaching, and, unfortunately, it was embedded in our School System and we had privilege bingo in fairfax county. We, in fact, had professional Development Classes where they were teaching faculty and administrators the difference between privilege class and oppressed class. The r