Republican Glenn Youngkin pulled off an upset for the ages Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s closely watched governor race, giving a devastating blow to President Biden and warning Democrats of what is expected to come in the 2022 midterm.
With 99 percent of the vote in, Youngkin had 50.7 percent of the vote compared to 48.6 percent for McAuliffe, a margin of approximately 67,000 votes out of nearly 3.3 million ballots cast. Youngkin ran up big margins in traditionally Republican areas in the south and west of the commonwealth and performed well enough in Northern Virginia’s Democratic-leaning DC suburbs.
Republicans also had narrow leads in the races for Virginia’s two other statewide offices. Businesswoman and former Marine Winsome Sears, the first black woman to win Virginia’s lieutenant governor.
Republican National Committee released a statement following news media calling the election for Youngkin, proclaiming, “The red wave is here!”
“This Republican sweep in Virginia is a resounding rebuke of the failed policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats,” RNC said in the statement. “Virginians – and Americans across the country – are fed up with Biden’s divisive policies, failed leadership, and a Democrat agenda hurting working families. A Republican wave is coming in 2022, and Virginia is just the start.”
Former President Trump also released a statement mocking McAuliffe and Democrats for making the race about the 45th president.
“It is looking like Terry McAuliffe’s campaign against a certain person named ‘Trump’ has very much helped Glenn Youngkin,” Trump said in an email statement. “I didn’t even have to go rally for Youngkin because McAuliffe did it for me. Thank you to the MAGA voters for turning out big!”
Throughout the campaign, McAuliffe, as did other prominent Democrats who helped stump for the former Virginia governor, including President Biden and former President Obama, sought to tie Youngkin to Trump. Last week, Biden mentioned Trump’s name 24 times during his 15-minute rambling speech.
In another statement, Trump credited his MAGA base for “coming out in force” to deliver Youngkin victory.
“I would like to thank my BASE for coming out in force and voting for Glenn Youngkin,” Trump said in another email blast. “Without you, he would not have been close to winning. The MAGA movement is bigger and stronger than ever before. Glenn will be a great governor. Thank you to the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and, most particularly, to our incredible MAGA voters!”
President Biden landed from his European excursion early Wednesday at 1 am Eastern to a nation very different from the one he left last Thursday.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey — a race not widely nationalized compared to Virginia is too close to call. The battle between incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciatterelli, a former state assemblyman, is a deadlock of 1,000 votes, with only 88 percent of the vote reported.
2022 MidtermsDemocratsGlenn YoungkinGov. Phil MurphyJack CiatterelliMAGANew JerseyPresident BidenPresident TrumpRed WaveRepublican National ConventionRepublican PartyRNCTerry McAuliffeeVirginiaVirginia Governor RaceWinsome Sears
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