The 2020s Republican Party hit its peak in November 2021. Glenn Youngkin walloped Terry McAuliffe in a surprise blowout victory for the governor's mansion, and Republicans around the country enjoyed either unexpected victories or narrow defeats where Democrats were supposed to easily win.
2022 was supposed to be even better until.... it wasn't. The GOP screwed it up and lost the momentum, largely due to the whole abortion mess.
However, Glenn Youngkin still had to govern, and he's quietly done a very good job. He's accomplished most of what he promised, and he's remained popular in a state which is becoming bluer each year.
There's even some talk that the GOP might take all Virginia state houses this election, which would be shocking given the fact that Republican Presidential nominees no longer have much of a chance there.
Here's a very good article about Youngkin and his time as Virginia governor: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%...republicans%2F
Democrats also have a hard time countering him. He's like a more focused and less gimmicky Desantis. He takes common sense positions with a lot of issues where the left is weak with independent voters and moderate Democrats, hammers them hard, and gets legislation passed to counter them.
At the same time, he stays moderate on matters like abortion (he supports it up to 15 weeks unless rape, incest, or the mother's life is in danger), and does not get caught up in manufactured stunts or controversies.
He's stayed strong on the parental rights train, something Virginia Democrats royally screwed up when they took a "government and school administrators know best" attitude regarding school policies and controversial subject matter. This is a winning issue for Republicans, and they should continue hammering it without attempting to get too flashy or extreme. Democrats will not win if forced to defend schools hiding gender transitions from parents, putting boys in girls' sports and locker rooms, or putting pornographic books in school libraries.
Youngkin even dedicated $30 million in funds to address pandemic learning loss -- another issue which Democrats are often afraid to address, as it raises questions regarding their controversial 2020-21 school shutdowns.
And from an electoral standpoint, Youngkin's people have organized strong early mail-in vote efforts -- something many other Republicans have been reluctant to do, despite its clear necessity to win close elections these days.
Youngkin doesn't seem to be a fluke. He did win primarily because McAuliffe and the Virginia Democrats couldn't stop stepping on their own feet, and was fortunate to get a big boost from the entire Loudon County school board debacle. However, his campaign and governing really should be a blueprint for the modern GOP -- how they can win elections simply by operating on a common-sense agenda which appeals to moderate voters, even in hostile territory.
He won't run in 2024, but it will be interesting to see if he is a contender to become President in 2028.
