Prominent Democrats told Fox News Digital that Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin “lost the electability argument” for a White House run after Tuesday’s lackluster elections for Republicans.
Virginia Republicans saw a tough election night on Tuesday with the Democrats taking over the state House of Delegates and maintaining control of the state Senate.
Youngkin is a popular governor among the denizens of the Old Dominion, and the governor’s name has been floated as a potential late-entry GOP presidential candidate.
YOUNGKIN FALLS SHORT IN HIS MISSION TO WIN TOTAL GOP CONTROL OF VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATURE
However, according to prominent Democrats, last night’s state elections in Virginia did little to help any presidential aspirations he may have.
Stanley Greenberg, the CEO of Greenberg Research, told Fox News Digital that while he doesn’t “have any special knowledge of Youngkin and Virginia,” he thinks “the races are being shaped by intense views on [former President] Trump and abortion.”
Greenberg said that in his firm’s polling, “about 55 percent of the party are the Trump loyalists (including the Evangelical loyalists).”
“I just don’t see what part of the Republican Party he motivates and builds a base,” Greenberg said of Youngkin.
“He doesn’t give them the red meat,” he continued. “There is opportunity for someone who can speak to moderate Republicans and Haley is doing better there. There are also the Cheney conservatives, but they are critical of Trump.”
“He has just lost the electability argument,” Greenberg added.
Democratic rainmaker and Fox News contributor Robert Wolf said that his Republican friends were looking to Youngkin for “rescue” in the presidential race but that after Tuesday’s elections, that support may migrate to GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley if she does well at Wednesday’s debate.
“With the nervousness of former President Trump as a candidate and the downfall of Governor DeSantis as the heir apparent for the GOP, I’ve had many conversations with my Republican friends that they were all waiting for the day after November 7th Virginia state races when Governor Youngkin would come to the party’s rescue,” Wolf said.
“Well, once again Democrats outperformed as they have in nearly every election since 2020, and voters rebuked Youngkin’s harsh views on women’s reproductive rights,” he continued.
“Now, unfortunately for my GOP friends, you won’t hear much about the Virginia Governor as the savior, and if Nikki Haley has a good debate tonight, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a wave of support move her way,” Wolf added.
Fox News contributor and former Tennessee Democrat Rep. Harold Ford said politics “is intensely and predictably local, and last night the most local and intense political issue was women’s health rights in the name of access to legal and safe abortions.”
“Governors Youngkin and Beshear know that,” Ford said. “And, so do the opponents in Ohio to a constitutional right to abortion.”
Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov said she thinks “it’s pretty clear that his decision to go hard about an abortion ban was a mistake and that [Youngkin’s] secret sauce to winning was pinned to the times — VA voters rejected fearmongering politics.”
“I didn’t think he was going to run anyway, but now he clearly doesn’t have the sheen he did before,” Tarlov continued. “And that’s a good thing. Republicans are extreme, even in the most moderate packages.”
Youngkin senior advisor Dave Rexrode tweeted on Tuesday that the governor’s team is “still monitoring a couple key races and will fully assess where things stand in the morning.”
“We had hoped for a stronger outcome this evening but are proud of the effort all of our candidates put in to these extremely competitive districts,” Rexrode continued.
Youngkin’s name has been floated as a potential late entrant into the GOP presidential contest amid a robust primary election with Trump as the frontrunner.
It is unclear if Youngkin will throw his hat into the ring for the White House, but the Virginia governor has batted away questions on a potential bid during the state election.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Youngkin’s office for comment.
