(New York) Voters in Virginia on Tuesday backed their party’s candidate for state governor, replacing his Republican opponent, a year after giving a credible victory to Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the presidential election.
The verdict, which was deemed unlikely a few weeks ago, was like a slap in the face to Joe Biden, who beat his predecessor by 10 points in Virginia, one of the states where his popularity has plummeted over the past few years. . And he will cause his Congress allies to doubt and panic.
Glenn Youngkin, a 54-year-old businessman who defeated 64-year-old former Virginia governor Terry McAliffe, is in danger of being imitated by other Republican candidates ahead of the election. Interim, which will take place in November 2022.
By displaying the image of a good father, he kept Donald Trump out of Virginia in his campaign and turned to the Republican base and more moderate suburban voters.
He succeeded by posing as an advocate for parents in battles between some and public schools over various issues, including the impact of complex racial theory on teaching primary and secondary students. This concept, developed by legal scholars in the 1970s, is used to examine the legacy of white supremacy over American laws and institutions.
Glenn Youngkin has vowed to ban the doctrine if it is not taught in public schools. His Democratic opponent therefore accused him of hammering the theme home to exploit the racial concern of white voters.
The main mistake
However, Terry McAlif helped the Republican candidate’s cause, by making a big mistake on the issue of education in the campaign’s final televised debate. Indicates the mother’s efforts to ban education Dear, Tony Morrison’s novel on slavery, he said: “I don’t think parents should tell schools what to teach. The ad pleased Glenn Youngkin, who used it in an ad that satisfactorily aired on television.
Voter concern about the economy and their fatigue with the coronavirus epidemic also played in favor of Republicans. Apparently, Terry McAliffe failed to convince voters that there was no real difference between his opponent and Donald Trump. He did not fail to see in his defeat the consequences of the inaction of the Democrats in Congress on the economic reforms that Joe Biden wanted. His call in recent weeks for the House of Representatives to pass a $ 1.2 trillion bilateral bill on infrastructure already passed by the Senate was in vain.
His defeat will have the effect of diverting moderate Democrats in Congress from Joe Biden’s most ambitious reform – the $ 1.7 trillion social and environmental program.
The story repeats itself
Historically speaking, Glenn Youngkin’s election was not a surprise. In the past 11 ballots for the governor of Virginia, the candidate representing the ruling party in the White House has won 10 times.
Like all American presidents since Jimmy Carter in 1977, Joe Biden has followed suit.
Strategists and commentators from both parties want to see the Republican candidate’s victory in the by – elections, especially with 435 seats in the House and one – third of the seats in the Senate. After the election of Republican Bob McDonnell in 2009, they specifically discuss what happened when the Democrats controlled both houses of the White House and Congress. This victory was suffered by Barack Obama’s Democratic allies during the 2010 midterm elections. They especially lost 63 seats in the House – and a majority.
But Tuesday’s election night may be at least one point different from 2009. Twelve years ago, Republicans won not only the election of governor of Virginia, but also the election of governor of New Jersey. Chris Christie defeated the state’s Democratic governor, John Corzin. However, at the time of writing, Democratic Governor Phil Murphy is still fighting against Republican Jack Ciatrelli.
