Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declines 2024 White House bid after months of speculation

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia confirmed Monday that he will not be launching a 2024 bid for the White House less than two years after his surprising victory in the state’s gubernatorial election in Nov. 2021.

“No,” Youngkin told Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerard Baker at a Milken Institute “Governing America” event when he asked the rising Republican star if he would be “dusting off” the signature fleece jacket he became known for during his race for governor.

Youngkin added that his focus would be on the Virginia legislative elections taking place this year and helping state Republicans hold their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates and take back the Democrat-controlled state Senate.

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“So in the words of LBJ, you will not seek and, if nominated, you will not serve and accept the Republican nomination for President of the United States?” Baker pressed.

“We’ll leave that one to LBJ. What I am very excited about is that America seems to be paying attention to what’s going on in Virginia,” Youngkin responded.

Youngkin’s decision not to run ends months of speculation the champion of parental rights in schools would seek to challenge former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner in the race, and face a growing Republican presidential field.

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Prior to his announcement, a signal Youngkin might not be launching a presidential campaign came when two of his top outside political consultants recently joined the super PAC supporting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Youngkin energized Republicans nationwide in his 2021 election victory. That’s when the first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing edged out former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP nominee in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in Virginia, a one-time swing state that had trended towards the Democrats over the past decade.

Fast-forward a year and Youngkin was a politician in demand on the 2022 campaign trail, crisscrossing the country on behalf of fellow Republicans.