Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was being touted by some circles (including internationally) as a possible Republican Presidential candidate who could stand a chance against Donald Trump, unlike the pack of losers still standing in the Republican debates (the five remaining candidates performed a clown show on Nov. 8, Wednesday night in a “debate” that simply added further to Trump’s lead in the polls). But Youngkin’s hint that he would run for President depended on his winning big in the Virginia primaries, where he was committed to taking over the two houses of the Virginia legislature in Richmond. Going into the election, Democrats narrowly controlled the state Senate, while Republicans narrowly controlled the House of Delegates. Rather than win back the Senate, the GOP lost the House of Delegates by a few seats. Youngkin quickly announced he would not run for President.
The Youngkin campaign had raised more than $22 million since March and launched an aggressive early-voting campaign for Republicans. He held 100 campaign events, many with Republican candidates for state office. His campaign was centered on a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy (the current law in Virginia bans abortion after 26 weeks). Nearly every race in the state centered on the abortion issue, and the pro-choice candidates essentially won.
