Gov. Glenn Youngkin is Virginia’s happy Republican warrior, and for good reason. In a state that has voted blue in every presidential election since 2008, the pro-life governor’s popularity consistently outstrips that of the Democratic Party standard-bearer, President Biden. With every seat in a divided state legislature up for grabs next month, polls show the race neck-and-neck for party control.
This, in spite of millions of dollars in attack ads painting Youngkin and the GOP as extreme and out of touch on abortion. Democrats are once again counting on abortion as the pivotal issue to save them.
Politico recently described Youngkin as “betting big” on a platform of protecting babies in the womb at 15 weeks, a point when science shows they feel pain, with an assertive strategy of going on offense to refute opponents’ lies and expose them as the true extremists.
Having counseled hundreds of pro-life candidates, I would take that bet any day.
Flipping the script isn’t actually a new tactic. Youngkin employed it successfully in 2021, but it is still tragically underused nationally.
On the debate stage and on the airwaves, Youngkin refused to let abortion extremist Terry McAuliffe monopolize the narrative. On Election Day, 8 percent of Virginia voters cited abortion as their top issue in exit polls. Those voters overwhelmingly backed Youngkin, and they delivered a Republican state House majority.
What’s distinct and special about Virginia is the unity among Republicans under Youngkin’s leadership, their fearlessness and the resources they are marshaling to back their message and level the playing field. It’s the first time since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision on abortion that all of these elements will really be put to the test in a bellwether state.
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