Is Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) preparing to toss his hat into the 2024 Republican primary ring?
Adding to the rumors Youngkin is considering a White House bid the first-term governor is scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall event next week.
JUST ANNOUNCED: CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent @JakeTapper will moderate an education-focused @CNN Town Hall with @GovernorVA in front of a live studio audience on Thursday, March 9 at 9pmET. More here: https://t.co/9KW9EQtKPo pic.twitter.com/AQt4cD0Scq
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) March 1, 2023
But Youngkin isn’t the only Republican governor eyeing a White House announcement…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been eyed as a potential White House contender for months but so far has remained silent on the prospect.
Last month, DeSantis indicated that he will make a decision on a 2024 presidential run after his book tour and the state’s legislative session wraps up in May.
“This is going to be the most productive Legislative Session we have had across the board and I think people are going to be really excited,” DeSantis said. “So those are what we’re going to be doing over these next few months as we get beyond that, then we can decide from there.”
Youngkin successfully ran for governor on a platform emphasizing parents’ role in students’ education and railing against diversity initiatives that he has called an effort at “political indoctrination” from the left. Some political experts have theorized his presidential campaign could follow a similar theme.
On his first day as Governor, he signed an executive order to ban Virginia public schools from teaching controversial critical race theory.
“During the Town Hall, Governor Youngkin will take questions from a live studio audience, and we will hear directly from parents, teachers, students and stakeholders about education and the issues that matter the most to families in Virginia and across the nation,” a CNN release said.
Youngkin has been included in numerous hypothetical 2024 GOP primary polls.
However, the first-term governor told NBC News in an interview in January that he was “humbled” by the discussion about his potential candidacy, but he did not commit to whether he would run.
On Monday, Jeff Roe, a top political advisor to Gov. Youngkin told The Associated Press that if the governor decides to run for president he’s confident Youngkin will make his own room in the race.
“He doesn’t need a lane created for him” Roe said.
“The governor makes his decisions based on his ability to win, on his ability to make a difference and what his heart leads him to do,” Roe said. “He doesn’t make decisions like that based on politics or political consultants or hacks.”
“There’s a time and a place for decisions like this to be made,” he said.
The Virginia Governor was also reportedly invited to speak at the influential conservative organization’s Club for Growth annual donor retreat. The retreat is known to attract prospective Republican presidential hopefuls, but the club notably refused to invite Donald Trump to this year’s event making him the only already-declared 2024 hopeful not in attendance at the retreat.
In addition to Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, the Club will also host former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, according to a person familiar with the plans.
This article originally appeared in American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
