Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has kept a low profile over the last few days when it comes to the Republican presidential primary, distancing himself from both former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as Super Tuesday approaches tomorrow.
While Youngkin said he would support Trump if he is the GOP nominee, he dodged a full endorsement in November and has not endorsed anyone since then. The governor’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Youngkin voted early but would not say who he voted for.
“Governor Youngkin has been consistent ‘…I’m going to let Virginians choose their candidate, I will support the Republican nominee…,’” the office said in a statement, pointing to an interview Youngkin did with “Squawk Box” on CNBC late last year.
Virginia is set to be one of several key Super Tuesday primary states that will determine the fate of Haley’s campaign given its lean Democratic population and open primary that allows Democrats to participate in Republican primaries.
Youngkin’s absence was notable at Trump’s rally over the weekend in Richmond, which his office had attributed to a previously scheduled family commitment, per WTOP News.
Youngkin’s participation in the 2024 presidential primary is a politically difficult situation for the governor, as he is considered to be a rising star in the national GOP and a possible future candidate for the White House.
“Keep in mind that when Governor Youngkin was a candidate for governor, there was a determined effort — and a successful one — to prevent the two from occupying the same stage,” Jeff Schapiro, political columnist with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, told WTOP News.
Trump has historically been an unpopular candidate in Virginia. He lost the 2020 presidential election race by 10% to President Joe Biden. The state also stayed blue when Trump was running against Hillary Clinton.
“Youngkin clearly appreciated the potentially destructive effects of the optics of video or still photography of the two standing together,” Schapiro said.
Youngkin faced a severe setback in the 2023 elections when Democrats took control of the General Assembly, a cycle that many had predicted could launch the governor into the national spotlight. Youngkin had been facing a difficult battle having a split legislature ahead of November last year, with a Democratic-controlled Senate making it harder to push his conservative agenda.
Now, he is forced to work in a bipartisan fashion with state lawmakers on several important issues, something that could be disrupted if he were to be seen campaigning with Trump. However, refusing to campaign with the former president could place him in the crosshairs for Trump’s infamous mudslinging and criticism.
Youngkin also did not show up to Haley’s events in Richmond and Falls Church on Thursday or her speech in Washington, D.C., on Friday. That distancing may also be intentional, as his appearance at a pro-Haley event could negatively affect his ability to work with hard-line conservatives and Trump allies, and an endorsement of the former South Carolina governor would only make him more of a target in Trump’s eyes.
Trump has not held back from criticizing Youngkin despite endorsing him in his upset gubernatorial race in 2021. The former president publically suggested in a radio interview earlier that year that refusing to “embrace the MAGA movement” could be politically damaging. In 2022, Trump took credit for Youngkin’s win of the governor’s mansion, as he has done with several governors like Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA).
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“Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me,” the former president said in a Truth Social post just days after the 2022 midterm elections.
On Friday, Trump’s team released a press release listing over 40 “Republican leaders across the Commonwealth of Virginia” that have announced their endorsement of Trump ahead of Tuesday’s primary contest. Youngkin’s name is notably absent, though state and congressional lawmakers and former Gov. Jim Gilmore were on the list.
