Cox. Is extremely rare. But friends dont have to be. When you are connected, you are not alone. Cox support cspan as a Public Service along with these other television providers. Giving you a front row seat to democracy. Virginia governor took part in a discussion with the president of the Economic Club of washington d. C. David rubin site they discussed virginia tourism, the Commonwealth Education goals and the debate over confederate monument. When asked about his political future Governor Glenn Youngkin would not answer to be entering the 2024 president ial race. [background noises] can have your attention please. I said earlier our special guest is a 74th governor of the commonwealth of virginia Glenn Youngkin. Thank you so much for coming thank you. Its fun to be with you. Before we get started first about such a privilege to be here. I just want to say to everybody, if anybody in this room has eight mid life crisis, run for office its awesome, it is awesome. Okay, anybody thinking of running . Which by the time were dead will get one convert here. To solve eight mid life crisis but office should one run for . List governor virginia is a ditto like i cannot run again. What about another job . Works there might be other ones. The governor of virginia cannot run for reelection consecutively correct question or. That is correct. Its restricted to one for your term election change the constitution proximate the next governor worry about that. Thats a great opportunity to be in a hurry. I have a clock behind my desk for the day i was inaugurated i said felt so help me god what to got work. A fedex package showed up. I tore it open on a saturday and in it was a clock. Theres a note from jeb bush inside said governor, get moving time is a taking. I put that clock by my desk every day i look at it and i know how many days we have left a big. Okay so how many days if he had so far . Were about 868 left. Oh well. That give people an introduction to you for a minute if i could. Then we will go through it. Glenn is born in richmond and grew up in it nor folk Virginia Beach. H. Went to high school there nor folk academy. Was a physical coach gate to play at duke or be on the duca team. Maybe not to play. [laughter] yes maybe not the play. [laughter] as i recall you were told theres a really good guy named danny coming and hes going to be the guy you play against and practices that right . Maybe i get to carry shoes. So glenda sent not to go to de he went to rice he became cocaptain of the basketball fteam. And didnt play that much either projects did not play that much there but met my wife so its worth it for. Him hes not married for 30 years almost. Okay. Then he went to Harvard Business school and graduate as a baker scholar which means top 5 of his class in between college at rice he got 2 degrees. He worked at first in boston in houston then went to Harvard Business school baker scholar went to mckenzie in washington d. C. And after year there was recruited to work and was there for 25 years froze up to be our coat ceo. Prior to that it was our president and chief operating officer. And at that time i remember telling glenn he had no chance of going into politics and getting elected Something Like that progressive not sure i ever asked. [laughter] oh okay. Glenn has four children his wife is suzannes someone you met in college request that matter right after school in houston Georgia Southern methodist in dallas. And we met through a mutual friend. She really did not have anything to do with me she didnt know it through this crazy virginian who would believe today shes the first lady of the commonwealth of virginia . Okay shes happy she made that decision, right . I hope so. I not ask you something related to the presidency, we will get to that. [laughter] are you happy as governor of virginia do you enjoy the call more than the calling of higher equity. [laughter] yes pinos going to break your heart but thew short answer is yes. It is amazing. I went into this because i was worried about virginia. I was frustrated with where the Republican Party was in virginia. And i wasnt really good shape. Remember when i called you on saturday to tell you i was resigning i said david this is Glenn Youngkin use and where you called me . You are quitting . And said yeah what you gonna do . Im gonnaun run for office is crazy might call your wife are r can call you back together and talk you out of this nonsense. What we found was this is one of the moments werent being an outsider was w amazing. I brought a different perspective to it. We are hired by virginians and ute virginians, thank you for hiring me. We went to work right away. All of the things we learned in business are fully transferable into government you just have to work about it. Lets talk about the campaign. During the campaign you have these vests you said it was your signature was it ons purpose you had them left over and were wearing them . [laughter] a got a little cold during the fall. I dont like jackets and iik hae sweaters. So i started wearing a vest. Iat that i will wear a red one since i am a republican. I started showing up at Campaign Things and everyone else started wearing a vest i thought maybe we stumbled onto something, read it best then you saw people on the country starting to wear red vest if you have stock in a company that makes red vest its a good thing. When he started to get the publican nomination which is done at a convention not at a primary. Did you really think and outside of the private equity background could really win . I would not have done otherwise. I was an uphill battle. Our first poll came out we did internally before we launched. Ie think 2 name id and had a 3 margin of error. [laughter] i was trying to explain to my wife it was a good thing because there was a real upside. She got the nomination then had toto run against a former goverr who you did not know him at the time for. I did not really know terry. Trixie had invested over the years which may be appointed at one point or something in the campaign for. Summit might have pointed it out. Maybe he thought it could be a good governor. Wanted to think that a good chance of winning . Was it the night of the election or as youre going forth you had a chance of beating a former Virginia Governor . Is a basic truth to a campaign which is the job is to get more votes than the other guy. Else we had a real chance if we could do three things. One is lose Northern Virginia less bet we have lost by a lot. Second about women Hampton Roads which is where im from. And then have really strong turn in the traditional publican counties and that was our strategy. And it worked. Not just because it was a good strategy but it works because of the time the issues that were on everybodys mind taxes and economics growth because of what was going on coming out of the pandemic and jobs being shut out because virginia was shut. Education the challenge parents were seeing an Education System and Public Safety it was a real challenge. Virginia was at a 20 or high inverter rates. These basic Kitchen Table issues spread across the commonwealth is the most important issues not republicans versus democrats but for virginians. I do feel like we found ourselves in a moment in time for things i believe deeply in, economic growth, Public Safety and excellence in education making government work better really resonated. During the campaign theres a debate you had some people tell you what if the debate because she wanted parents involved in the education process. He did not want parents involved. Was at a position he had thought through before it was that what really 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 travel on the only commonwealth i kept hearing over and over and over again forri parents that we feel pushed out of our childrens lives in the school s system. So we had launched our parents t Matters Initiative long before the debate. Mcand then when mccall basically admitted what he firmly believes his political philosophy that affects children should not ass parents should not be deciding what should be taught in schools was a real moment of difference between what i was speaking about and what het believed. Again it was not republicans versus democrats moment but was a parents moment. That had a lot of tail wind. Suppose you hadnt went what would you be doing today where would you be in private equity in her own firm . What would you be doing . Nlexa didnt have a plan b i really didnt we were going hard. Me get elected who called you did famous people call you to tell you they knew youre going to win all along they were supporting it secretly . As a thank you, the day after i think. [laughter] a lot of people more famous than me certainly call you thought you had a good chance of winning along or what . Works we had great support are what we were doing. There is a real uphill battle. Virginia had become very much controlled by the democrat party. The attorney general was held by democrats both senators seven out of 11 congressional art democrats. Art democrats. A thousand cents. Republican someone was real uphill battle. Down the stretch people start to see momentum came our way. Is really encouraging. We are for you it can help you get it down too. To pick a cabin that you did not have contacts you had known for many, many years how did you pick your cabinet you ask search firms . How did you get the cabinet together. Rooted execs and then we did at carlisle. I had search firms, we wrote job descriptions sent them out on a national. I got heat it was late in the cabinet building or the transition process. We had not named a lot of folks yet were waiting for the right people. The very first person i nominated to the cabinet was a new position chief transformation officer because we had one in every business in Carlisle Park its a funny story called a friend of mine said im looking for chief transmission officer to help he said the very best person is the guy the chief transformation officer at mckinsey but theres no we ever get him out his lifes goodies live in a small town in virginia called richmond. Ir [laughter] eric miller became our chief transformation officer. And was our first cabinet nominee. Okay. What about your staff it but where did you get them where they Campaign People with virginia government experience or your staff . All the above. Without focusus a bit in busines many of you had worked with Steve Cummings who ran hollowell and rent ubs. He is virginia secretary of finance. When i called him the first times the glen i dont know anything about government and i dont live in virginia i said perfect, move here. He did and he has been awesome for it secretary of education can for minnesota. Yet we are still able to recuse recruit from virginia. Secretary of the commonwealth is okay she just stepped down after first 20 months approach you promised me she was safe foror your to half she stayed for 20 months. We had great people come to the administration regards are you enjoying the job is much as you appear to be enjoying it . Progress europas private equity . No not at all. [laughter] so today what would you say youre most proud of having achieved near 20 months or so . David there are two things. First is that when we started in this tremendous privilege to go to work every day for 8. 7 Million People and i have to say i hear from a lot of them every day. [laughter] ewe saw virginia was really challenge your bottom third in job growth. E twenty or high at murder rates are at your quotient scores have dropped. More virginians were moving away to other stateser they were movg to virginia for nine years straight we were a net exporter of o families. One spent most encouraging is all the things we knoww in business actually can work in government. So we lowered taxes we streamlined regulation of businesses, and create jobs per day about 28 month period is third in the nation job growth. We reestablish High Expectations and schools we Just Launched hugely important intensive tutoring program across entire commonwealth bargain make sure our kids can read and do math. We hired a lot of foursomes we have increase in salaries and rages and i was in new york last monday and im walking down the street a guy on the north Police Department comes up to me and he says are you Governor Glenn Youngkin i said yes i just put in my application to come work iain the Virginia State police m coming, im coming. We can move the needle quickly. In 20 months ive watched it i n quickly the ultimate task is where are people choosing to live . I know all of your review data like d i do its important data set to read. But in 2021 virginia was 31st and the nationwide white uhaul trips. One year later we are fifth in the nation ortho florida, texas, recommended thomas al qaeda when i will seeee very ahead of governor in tennessee. I told him so brightly can in fact move the needle quickly i am incredibly incredibly proud of the work wevedi done. Lets talk about the things related to race that has been a big issue in virginia for many, many years obviously. When there is a confederate monumentnt what is your decision what ive been doing it takingin down monuments or repositioning them . Think there was one at a military academy question. Arlington cemetery. A decision on most of the monuments have been made. I think our history needs to be preserved for people to understand and see. So those monument should be on battlefields orr museums. Weve got to work on this particular monument that is in Arlington Cemetery it was christened or unveiled by Woodrow Wilson as a unification bonnet president s develop through barack obama have laid wreaths there. The decision was made to move it. Until we have been working across the aisle ive had some support from her to senators as lwell in order to move this to a battlefield in virginia. So it will be part of our history so people can understand it. I think this is part of the moment we are in. Often censors a distinction drawn and politics its either this or that. And depending on where you come down is what team you are on. I think there is a y real momen. We did in fact recognize the decision was made but lets have an and at moment and put the statute someplace where historians can see it and we can understand the history of virginia. Is at road renamed Jefferson Davis highway in Northern Virginia. Its been renamed. So is that the Glenn Youngkin highway . No. The process is one that has been very challenging for people. Thats when i first came in and i said folks i ones to redo our history standards in virginia. Because our history standards should be the best in the nation for i know folks may be from maryland or from massachusetts or from pennsylvania on think those states had a major role in forming our country but it really started in virginia. Thats a joke. [laughter] the reality of course is we have to teach all of our history. The good and the bad. We can teach both age appropriately. Wewe can have a robust curriculm that introduces to all of our children. The very complex history that acknowledges the horrific history of slavery. And yet the great moments of our Civil Rights Movement so much happened in virginia. We were able to get new history isstandards of past just recenty in the spring. Think with the best history standards in the nation theyre already receiving accolades and looking forward to virginia kids anderson are complete and complex history. When he ran for governor and became governor yourn are very much against teaching of Critical Race Theory and virginiahe schools. It was not actually being taught as i understand it right where we so upset about it if it wasnt being taught . David dont fall for that trick. Its not a class its actually a philosophy of teaching. And unfortunately it was embedded in our schoolde system. We had privilege of bingo and fairfax county. We in fact had professional Development Classes where they were teaching faculty and administrators the difference between privileged class at a press class. The reality is we should not teach our children to judge one another. We should not teach our children they are responsible for the sins of the past. We should teach our children hard work is a boy that should be respected and encourage. We can do all this and teach very complex history. We do not have to have war moments but we need to make sure our School System is fully respecting the individuality of our students and parents engagement in their childs education. We have made huge progress but imro very pleased theres stila lot of work to do. Again this is an and moment nota in or moment. Quick some people say it may have come for a privileged background. Your father went to Duke University or he was the rebound champion preimmigration. It was a famous basketball player a graduate of duke. Did you grow up in a privileged environment . I grew up in a normal home. Ia american as you said i was born in richmond. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a bookkeeping accountant type. When i was in seventh grade my dad lost his job it happens in families my mom did what so many moms do. My mom was my hair she grabbed his ear and grabbed our family said restarting oliver again wait move down to Virginia Beach t and that is whe we started again. It was such a moment in my life to