It seems that more and more people are seeing what Governor Youngkin can do as a new column from the Washington Post is urging him to make a run for president in 2024.
In a piece published Sunday, Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty celebrated recent reporting that alleged Youngkin had met with GOP megadonors in New York, calling the signals of a 2024 bid “good news.”
“There are plenty of Democrats who believe the man who campaigned as a sunny suburban dad in a zippered vest is really a Trump in fleece clothing. But Virginia — which was trending blue until his victory — is clearly warming up to Youngkin. His poll numbers have turned positive, and disapproval has shown a significant drop,” Tumulty wrote.
She continued, “The reason I’d like to see him — or someone like him — make a serious run for president has more to do with an existential crisis that faces our democracy. It is crucial that this country have a healthy two-party system. Someone must test the proposition that there are still enough sane Republicans out there to create a path to the nomination for a candidate who offers himself as an alternative, rather than an amplification, of the worst aspects of Trumpism.”
As reported by Fox News, The Post deputy editorial page editor sounded the alarm on rumors that former President Trump is set to announce his bid for the White House and took a swipe at “Trump wannabes,” specifically naming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as those who would replicate what she suggests were the consequences of the Trump presidency.
“Youngkin, it should be noted, has played close to the Trumpian line in some areas, and sometimes crossed it. But his has been a balancing act,” Tumulty wrote. “He put ‘election integrity’ at the top of his priorities during his campaign, but also acknowledged Biden’s 2020 victory and called the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection ‘a real blight on our democracy.’ His first executive order banned teaching ‘inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory,’ in K-12 public education, but he criticized his health commissioner, Colin Greene, for dismissing structural racism as a reason for poor Black maternal health.”
Tumulty also highlighted Youngkin’s stance on abortion, which is in a favor of a 15-week ban with exceptions though he would sign a bill limiting a 20-week ban into law, acknowledging he’s “pro-life” but is “very, very aware of Virginia,” stressing to Washington Post readers “that would allow the vast majority of abortions to continue to be performed in Virginia as they are today.”
“It will be worth keeping a closer eye on Youngkin as he begins to lift his national profile,” Tumulty suggested. “Republicans have won the popular vote in only one presidential election since 1988. He may not be the guy to end that drought. But it is past time for them to find someone who is.”
Recently, Youngkin stepped onto the national stage of politics where he announced that he would be traveling throughout the country to help get ‘Republican governors elected across the country.’ He also has been dodging rumors of a suspected presidential campaign for months now, most recently in an interview with Fox News, where he told the outlet for the second time that week that “I’m always humbled when people ask me about 2024. But my intention is very much on Virginia, very much on 2022 elections, and doing all I can to help.”