Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) rebuffed former President Donald Trump‘s claims that his supporters should not vote but rather “watch” other voters.
Trump told his supporters in New Hampshire on Monday that “you don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting” and instead encouraged them to “watch” other voters to prevent fraud. The Virginia governor took a different attitude, emphasizing that “every single vote matters,” while on NewsNation’s The Hill on Tuesday.
GLENN YOUNGKIN SAYS ALL DEMOCRATS DO IS ‘SELL FEAR’ AHEAD OF PIVOTAL VIRGINIA ELECTIONS
“Well, I’ve just felt that given the fact that the rules are the rules, the ones that I inherited, and we have 45 days to vote in Virginia, I’m gonna get everybody out to vote, and therefore, we’ve really pushed hard for people to go to secureyourvotevirginia.com. Make a plan to vote early. Listen, there were 500,000 people that voted for me in 2021 that didn’t turn around and vote in the congressional midterms in 2022. 500,000,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin said he didn’t want to leave a “single vote on the sidelines.”
“I’ve been encouraging everybody — get out and vote. I think it’s a key component to us winning,” he added. “Listen, these are tight races. Every single vote matters. And it’s the people that show up and vote. They’re going to decide the election. I want to get them all voting.”
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Youngkin’s plea comes ahead of the pivotal 2023 Virginia elections, which will decide which party controls both the House of Delegates and the state Senate. The Virginia governor — who won in an upset victory in 2021, which also saw the GOP sweep statewide races and flip the House of Delegates — said the elections are a “great chance for us to put our record to the voters.”
The 2023 election in the Old Dominion is expected to be a test of Youngkin’s influence in the commonwealth, possibly setting him up for a national or statewide run. In the House of Delegates, the GOP holds a narrow 48-46 majority, while the Democrats hold a 22-18 majority in the state Senate.
