Republican Glenn Youngkin beat former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe in Virginia governor’s race on Tuesday. Youngkin got 50.7% of the vote to McAuliffe’s 48.6% in the off-year election’s marquee race. The Republicans swept the rural parts of the state by an even larger margin than former President Donald Trump had in 2020 and improved the party’s performance in the Washington D.C. suburbs where the majority of Democratic voters live.
Youngkin had made education and Critical Race Theory key issues in his campaign while distancing himself from Trump. Still, the former president was quick to take credit for Youngkin’s victory even before the race was called by the TV networks on Tuesday night.
