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The ad is impressive; the life story even more so.

Glenn Youngkin is not your typical Republican, that’s for sure.  From blue collar leanings to the head of one of the largest capital investment groups in the nation, Youngkin has a story that is rooted in Virginia soil.

Youngkin wasted no time throwing punches at his opponents.  From his press statement:

“I’m not a politician, and I certainly don’t have the 120 years of combined political baggage that my opponents have. They talk a lot about solving problems, but I’ve actually done it. I spent the last 30 years building business, creating jobs, and bringing people together to succeed. Guided by my faith, I will bring that same dedication to serving Virginians.

Former Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) — who has the lion’s share of that political experience — took a different and more graceful tack altogether:

“I had the chance to talk with Glenn several times last summer as he first began to consider running for Governor. Through those conversations, I came to respect Glenn’s faith and commitment to service. I also know Glenn has been very successful throughout his career in private equity across the globe. His business resume and extended global connections certainly make him a worthy competitor.

Meanwhile, Pete Snyder — a man with similar credentials to Youngkin — is already up on television with a six-figure advertising buy focused on education:

“We’re nearly a year into this pandemic and the career politicians in Richmond have done more to rename our schools than open them. As governor, I’ll take on the special interests, get our kids back in the classrooms and bring strong, decisive leadership to the state capitol.

To add yet another wrinkle to the Republican gubernatorial bid, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Sergio de la Pena is also running for the Republican nod as a proud Trump supporter that will surely bite into State Senator Amanda Chase‘s (I-Chesterfield) presumptive leadership over the populist wing of the party:

When Sergio immigrated legally, he learned English and assimilated. He supports building a wall to stop illegal immigration, and making English the official language. Sergio would eliminate taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants in Virginia like in-state college tuition and drivers licenses for illegals.

De la Pena is also a retired colonel in the United States Army.

With Youngkin’s introduction to the race, this makes five announced candidates for the Virginia Republican gubernatorial nod — with State Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon) also widely believed to be on the cusp of an announcement.

Now in case you are wondering where The Republican Standard falls in these contests, among Republicans we do not take sides.  As our Mission Statement makes clear:

We should not be afraid of stating the obvious.  Our public square has a number of publications committed to attacking conservatives, both outside and within.

This publication will refrain entirely from such intramural contests.

Expect this to be as much as we say about the intramurals unless they are taking on Democrats or performing their public duties as Republican elected officials.  Naturally, we welcome anyone willing to take up the conservative banner and challenge the political left in Virginia — and surely we could use builders rather than destroyers.

Ready to read a classy statement, one professional to another?  Read this as former Speaker Kirk Cox welcomes Pete Snyder to the GOP gubernatorial race:

“I’d like to welcome Pete to the 2021 gubernatorial race. I know Pete has long wanted to get back into the public arena after his 2013 campaign for Lt. Governor. It is my firm belief that competition is a good thing, foundational to the success of our representative democracy. I look forward to a robust discussion in which Virginia Republicans can choose the candidate capable of unifying the party and providing the experience we desperately need in order to fight back, lead forward, and win in 2021.”

Wait — they’re not calling each other names??!

Well of course not.  It’s a convention.  Which means that you want to go into the campaign everyone’s #2 and just enough #1 in order to get you past the first round… and then the second… and then the third… and then to victory.

Pretty classy move, right?  Game meets game.

Meanwhile, Cox didn’t waste a second taking the wood to the Democrats and the Northam-McAuliffe agenda of higher taxes, firearm confiscation, and a sour economy made worse by Northam’s bungling on COVID.

Give it a listen.  Nice to see grown ups in the race for governor.