Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has reportedly shelved plans to run for president in 2024.
The GOP lawman is seen as a rising star in the Republican party following his surprise gubernatorial victory in the formerly blue state in 2021.
Amid the surge of Donald Trump in the polls following his indictment as a New York bombshell, and an expected 2024 announcement from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Youngkin has decided not to throw his hat in the ring.
According to The New York Timeshas told the 56-year-old advisers and fundraisers that he’s tapping into breaks to run for the White House, focusing instead on red-edging the Virginia legislature in the upcoming state election in the fall.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin reportedly shelved plans to run for president in 2024
Youngkin’s expected decision to drop his presidential plans comes after another potential candidate, Donald Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also announced he would not be running in the race.
Youngkin stormed to a surprise victory over Terry McAuliffe two years ago after a fierce campaign that focused on many of the “culture war” issues expected to dominate the upcoming presidential race.
But his championing of parents’ rights and education has since been co-opted by DeSantis, who boasts a more impressive record in Florida than Youngkin in Virginia.
And in a heated race in which DeSantis is expected to be at the center of a political slugfest with Donald Trump, it appears several potential candidates have decided to forego their own runs.
When announcing his decision not to run in the election, former Trump cabinet member and critic Pompeo admitted to Fox News, “This is not our time.”
According to the Times, two of Youngkin’s top advisers, who orchestrated his shock victory in 2021 and would direct his presidential run in 2024, recently jumped ship and joined a super PAC that supported DeSantis’ unannounced candidacy.
Donald Trump has enjoyed a massive bump in the polls following his hush money indictment and subsequent indictment
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured at a rally on April 14, 2022, is expected to announce his own presidential run for 2024
Former President Donald Trump has seen a rise in the polls following his bombshell indictment in New York
When asked if he’s considering his own White House candidacy in the coming months, Youngkin said this week, “Listen, I haven’t written a book, and I’m not in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina.”
His remarks seemed to point to DeSantis’ recent book tour, seen by many as a soft launch to his presidential campaign, which provided an opportunity to visit early voting states before an official announcement.
Rather than lay the groundwork for a 2024 campaign, Youngkin said he’s focusing on Virginia’s November election, where all 140 seats in the legislature are up for grabs.
He added that taking over Virginia’s state congress “is all about this year.”
Complete control of the legislature, which is currently under Democratic control in the Senate, while Republicans hold a narrow four-seat majority in the House, would give Youngkin more opportunity to push through conservative policies and build a national profile, as DeSantis did in Florida.
However, he has previously expressed his intent to capitalize on issues underlying DeSantis’ potential campaign, including signing a bill that would give parents a veto over books placed in classrooms.
Youngkin, pictured April 6, 2023, has said he is fully focused on Virginia’s upcoming legislative election rather than a presidential run
President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced a reelection campaign, has repeatedly stressed his intention to run again in 2024.
Youngkin’s apparent decision to drop his presidential aspirations comes as the 2024 Republican nomination race appears to revolve around a matchup between Trump and DeSantis.
Following Donald Trump’s recent indictment on charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, he has seen a noticeable increase in support for his comeback bid for the White House.
According to Politico, Trump’s campaign and fundraising committees raised more than $15 million in the wake of the indictment.
And in a shocking new poll from Victory Insights, he has taken a significant lead in early election polls since his arrest. In DeSantis’ home state of Florida, Trump received support from 46.6 percent of likely voters, compared to just 31.8 percent of his likely rival in 2024.
In another Victory Insight poll from November, when Trump announced his comeback campaign, DeSantis beat the former president by 10.9 percent.
However, the potential for a two-horse race in the nomination contention lacks South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who announced Wednesday that he is launching a presidential scouting committee — the first step toward a run for the White House.