Glenn Youngkin's Policy Positions Helped Win Virginia Governor Race

In the competitive race for the governor of Virginia, Republican Glenn Youngkin came out the winner and defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe by a slim margin. Many people think that Youngkin’s policy positions on education helped him win the tight race.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting Nov. 3, Younkin had 50.7 percent of the vote compared to McAuliffe’s 48.6 percent, the Associated Press reports.

During his campaign, Youngkin told voters that he would ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools and work to give parents a bigger say in their children’s school curriculum.

"America has fabulous chapters, and it's the greatest country in the world, but we also have some abhorrent chapters in our history, we must teach them," Youngkin told Fox News during his campaign.

Besides his views against teaching critical race theory in schools, Youngkin also campaigned on policy positions that are popular with many Republican candidates. He's against defunding police, supports cutting taxes, and rejects COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions.

Critical race theory is an academic concept that has been around for over 40 years. Those who support it believe that white people have an advantage in American society through laws and policies in the country. Discussions on critical race theory came to a head within the past year due to events like the murder of George Floyd, the police killing of Breonna Taylor, and the Black Lives Matter movement that followed.

There has been a lot of debate as to whether critical race theory should be taught in schools. At least five states have passed legislation banning the teaching of critical race theory, and about 16 states have introduced legislation to ban it.

Virginia native Youngkin, 54, is the former partner and managing director of private-equity firm Carlyle Group. He left the firm last year to run for governor.

According to financial disclosures reported by The Washington Post, Youngkin’s net worth is close to $400 million. His stock and other financial holdings are worth as much as $30.9 million. He reportedly owns 6.7 million shares in Carlyle Group, which is estimated to be worth about $310 million.

Although Donald Trump endorsed Youngkin for the governor role, Youngkin appears to have tried to distance himself from the former president. He repeatedly tried to shift the focus away from Trump during his campaign despite McAuliffe’s attempts to tie the two together, The Wall Street Journal reports.

During a September debate between the two candidates, Youngkin said, “The only person invoking Trump is you,” when McAuliffe commented on his possible ties with the former president.

Youngkin’s win is seen by many as a blow to President Joe Biden and his administration. Since 2009, Virginia residents have elected Democrats to statewide offices. In the 2020 presidential race, Biden was the clear winner in Virginia with 54.1 percent of the popular vote compared to Trump’s 44 percent.