What experience does Youngkin have?

Youngkin does not have any previous government experience. He’s a multimillionaire who lives in Great Falls, and made his millions as the former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group , a private equity firm. A high school basketball star who once washed dishes in Virginia Beach, Youngkin marketed himself in the race as an approachable suburban dad . The run for governor was his first try for political office. The businessman’s estimated $300 million fortune helped finance a highly competitive campaign .

What issues did Youngkin run on?

Youngkin ran on a platform of five main points : cutting taxes, building safer communities, creating jobs, improving education and making government work for the people. In the final weeks of the race, education emerged as Youngkin’s main issue as he focused on hot-button issues like “educational freedom” that appeared to excite voters. Youngkin regularly received his loudest applause when he promised to ban critical race theory, an academic approach to racial history that’s not actually part of the Virginia K-12 curriculum. And he marketed himself as the candidate who would give parents a say over what their students learn in school. He promised that if elected he would appoint both a new Virginia superintendent and secretary of education. At the beginning of his campaign, while still vying for the Republican nomination, Youngkin spent time campaigning on more conservative issues like “election integrity,” and waited until he secured the nomination to publicly say he believed President Biden had been fairly elected.

Where does Youngkin stand on Donald Trump?

Youngkin walked a fine line with Trump throughout his campaign, accepting endorsements, but never directly campaigning with Trump, who lost Virginia last year by 10 points. During the second debate in September, Youngkin said he would support Trump if he were to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election. Trump also made two virtual appearances at Virginia events in the past month, though Youngkin did not organize or attend either one. On election night, Trump was quick to take credit for Youngkin’s win, releasing multiple statements thanking his “Make America Great Again” supporters for bringing in the win for Youngkin.

Who is Youngkin’s lieutenant governor?

Youngkin’s elected lieutenant governor is Republican Winsome E. Sears , a former Marine born in Jamaica and onetime Norfolk state delegate. Sears, who is Black, is the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Virginia. Sears represented Norfolk in the state House 20 years ago, and now runs a plumbing and electrical repair business with her husband in Winchester. One of her most prominent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=770358090312069&set=bc.AbosIhIBvsasfmNJpyAI_AshAkioUWaz7ImH-W_zJDIEitGZobSFVGDBQqv3TwYjU36S15j0Bd6wa0Zaq3KvCzoO_ew9OrYv79D_iWleMWxM1m_Y4ejg-VipqKeGIU2Wa9-PLn1X8883fwQMPhsj-fTp&opaqueCursor=AbpprsgsAh_0aV3zpSpn3sHsCFesB_CyRWMHctAlP85MLKQZQzy5NVtc2U1x1XKpdVNn-kc3QtsZ2qbhT1vRN6XgQw6NxqoRg7YlrRhCTlpxcV6KEAbRaNO5MR69RWF24gRaGTLkAUTupBSIH35gkt1OaitIgAwV3E4_WRJrGNJb7s2Ukvw9OFcHB4KvBPkIvGqO-aZN7RA0q6ydDQEjAebFtixNFKdUVL0FENrBnwINerZeR9XWJz87TmAifa-aXvSaDRppHIkxesudArkFzIqvgbjuCbKAfzuBLVd7vWHEcJky9zs5bjzCMJ3Yq4Os66n29mNm4ELcUHfc3TWAaEHybOecYThgwYLqc4fKzEOHjny0so9FfW-iWeBBVWR1DYKRtxJEDjrT5HenzFy-dsbNARccwvHuz4JoUNAmgNqHsHSzeY78CSqOSvo1KhSl4U25hTGKSZ2cqyqcUoaS8X7yRBgEnIou1T4hT69pBPT_JA">campaign ads during the race featured a photo of her holding an assault rifle. While much of the Virginia lieutenant governor’s role is ceremonial, it can wield real power. The position has been often used as a path to governorship, and it serves as a tiebreaking vote in the state Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow, 21-19 majority.

What’s the reaction in Richmond?

Senators, delegates and other key figures in Richmond took to Twitter on Wednesday to share their sentiments on the governor-elect. Most congratulated Youngkin on the win. Republicans celebrated the victory and looked forward to what they could get done with control of the House and the governor’s mansion. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) tweeted to congratulate Youngkin and said that on Thursday, the two “will meet to begin the smooth transition that is a hallmark of our democracy.” House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) indicated he was fielding dozens of questions and congratulations when he tweeted a screenshot of more than 150 unanswered text messages with the caption: “So what are y’all doing today…?” House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) tweeted a statement congratulating Youngkin on his win: “Our Commonwealth has much to be proud of, and I look forward to collaborating with him to build on our successful track record and working together on our shared goal of building a better Virginia.” Greg Habeeb, a former Republican delegate representing Salem who resigned in 2018, tweeted that he was getting a lot of questions about what to expect working in a split government — given that the Senate remains narrowly controlled by Democrats. Habeeb said his favorite time to be a delegate was under the last Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, with a Republican-controlled House and a Democratic Senate. “I also served during a period of unified Republican control. That obviously had its benefits but it comes with a TON of challenges,” Habeeb tweeted. “51-49 R House and 21-19 D Senate seems like a recipe to get good things done without too much of the crazy.”

Northam will finish his term as governor before Youngkin is sworn in on Jan. 15, 2022.

Virginia Politics

Who is Glenn Youngkin? What you need to know about Virginia’s next governor.

By Karina Elwood

Updated November 3, 2021 at 10:48 p.m. EDT|Published November 3, 2021 at 3:18 p.m. EDT

Virginia governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) greets supporters at his victory party on election night. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

In his first run for political office, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic former governor Terry McAuliffe for the Virginia’s governor’s seat in Tuesday’s election.

All eyes were on the race as the two candidates battled over issues involving education, abortion and the looming presence of former president Donald Trump. And the race remained neck-and-neck in polls, with Youngkin prevailing early Wednesday morning.

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So, who is Glenn Youngkin? Where does he stand on some of the biggest political issues, and what did he promise to do now that he’s elected?

Here’s what you need to know about the governor-elect.