When Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) flipped the Virginia governor’s mansion red for the first time since 2009 in 2021, he was immediately catapulted into the political stratosphere and heavily favored as a possible GOP presidential candidate.
But five years later, Youngkin seemingly put an end to rumors he could run in 2028 by endorsing Vice President JD Vance, who is widely seen as President Donald Trump‘s MAGA successor over other contenders such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I agree with President Trump, I agree with Marco Rubio: I think Vice President Vance would be a great nominee,” Youngkin told Jacqui Heinrich on Fox News Sunday.
Youngkin’s term in office ends Saturday as Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) is inaugurated. What Youngkin will do next is unclear yet, and when pressed about aspiring to the White House, the outgoing governor remained coy.
“I firmly believe that, one, people who spend all their time thinking about their next job, failed to do the one that they’ve been elected to do,” the outgoing governor told the Washington Examiner. “And that’s why I have been, and continue to be, incredibly focused on delivering for Virginia.”
Youngkin also echoed Vance’s urging of the GOP to focus on maintaining control of both chambers of Congress during this year’s midterm elections. “While it is natural to have all kinds of speculation on what will happen in 2028, I fully subscribe to the vice president’s philosophy: Let’s stay focused, let’s deliver,” he said. “Let’s get through our midterms, and let’s make sure that Republicans are showing that we deserve the license that we’ve been granted.”
GLENN YOUNGKIN: THE GREAT VIRGINIA RENAISSANCE
The comments were surprising to longtime Virginia GOP strategist Brian Kirwin.
“I’m sure it wasn’t an impromptu decision,” Kirwin said. “I’m sure he had planned this for a while. I do think he wanted to come out for JD Vance while he was still governor. It’s clear he didn’t want to be former Gov. Glenn Youngkin endorses JD Vance.”
The vice president’s first domestic trip in office last year was to show support for residents in Damascus, Virginia, who are recovering from Hurricane Helene.
“And there he is with Gov. Youngkin, so I’m sure that experience has, at least in some way, informed this,” said James Bergida, regional vice chairman for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District Republican Committee.”Youngkin is a smart guy. I think he realizes that the political landscape has shifted, and if you look at whether it’s the polls or the prediction markets, he is barely registering, if at all.”
In one of his final acts in office, Youngkin was among a group of governors at the White House on Friday to urge PJM, an electrical grid operator, to hold a special power auction to lessen price hikes.
The outgoing governor’s attempt to ingratiate himself with Vance and Trump is likely his best option, given that he was term-limited by Virginia law from seeking reelection and Vance has consolidated heavy support from the MAGA wing of the GOP ahead of 2028.
“The painful reality of every Virginia governor is that they have an expiration date,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “And that creates great pressure on creating the environment for the next job. Youngkin has been effective at supporting President Trump in a way that opens possibilities for him in Washington.”
Although there are no Cabinet vacancies, Trump could tap Youngkin for a role in the administration if members decide to leave in the aftermath of the midterm elections or for an ambassadorship role. Youngkin has ruled out a Senate run in 2026, a nod to the difficult environment for a Republican to win statewide office in Virginia.
“He would be a safe appointment, because he clearly is willing to play along with Trump,” said David Richards, a political science professor at the University of Lynchburg. “He has some gravitas. … He’s not a Fox News host. He’s not one of these people that is kind of super fluffy.”
Richards also said Youngkin staying out of the 2028 race could help him to launch a campaign if the GOP faces a disastrous midterm performance and things start to sour for Vance.
But Vance also has historical precedent on his side. “When vice presidents run for the nomination, they usually get the nomination,” said Christopher Galdieri, a political scientist at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Vance’s little time in elected office before ascending to the vice presidency — he spent just two years in the Senate — could make him more susceptible to flaming out if the American public sours on the Trump administration.
“This isn’t somebody like Al Gore or the first George Bush, or somebody who has been in politics for decades,” Galdieri said. But Vance has “a whole lot of people lining up behind him. And when you have that, it lowers the risk of your mistakes.”
Youngkin’s endorsement of Vance and his leadership in a purple state make him an attractive running mate for whoever the GOP nominee is in 2028.
“I think being second on the ticket, he wants to be on that short list early,” Kirwin said. “Should anything happen, he wants to be right there to take over the top spot.”
A presidential run from Youngkin will likely be hampered by the struggles he faced with Democrats controlling one or both chambers of the state legislature, as opposed to other Republican governors who have GOP-controlled legislatures, such as Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Greg Abbott (R-TX).
“Youngkin struggled to reach compromises on major issues with Democrats, and so his record of legislative accomplishment would be relatively thin, particularly compared to governors who had Republican majority legislatures,” Farnsworth said.
Two years after Youngkin won the governor’s mansion, Republicans lost control of both chambers in the state legislature, severely thwarting Youngkin’s desires to enact a 15-week abortion restriction. His proposal to build a $2 billion sports stadium in Alexandria, Virginia, collapsed under Democratic opposition in 2024. Youngkin called it a “colossal mistake.” Outgoing Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Youngkin’s preferred successor, lost the gubernatorial race to Spanberger by double digits.
In his final State of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday, Youngkin boasted that “the commonwealth is soaring,” and claimed that “by every single metric, today Virginia is stronger than she has ever been.” He also touted luring more than $157 billion in business investment into Virginia, ending his tenure with more than $10 billion in budget surpluses, and reducing chronic absenteeism.
THE ODD COUPLE: VANCE AND RUBIO STICK TOGETHER THROUGH 2028 SPECULATION
Youngkin will still have his Spirit of Virginia political action committee to help send money to Republicans seeking office in the Old Dominion. He could likely hit the campaign stump to help Republicans across the nation ahead of the November elections — a move that would keep him in the spotlight and foster goodwill if he sought higher office.
“He’s a good reader of public sentiment because in 2021 he was able to, in a sense, read the moment that it was possible to elect a Republican governor in Virginia,” Bergida said. “He’s a very gifted guy with a lot of experience. So you know, whether that’s in the VP role or some other role, I see him, if he continues on the Vance train, to be very much a part of a potential 2028 race for Vance.”
