John Jefferson
EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will release a video ad Tuesday inviting the countless new workers and officials in the second Trump administration to settle in his state, versus the District of Columbia and neighboring Maryland.
Youngkin, who made education policy a pillar of his 2021 campaign against ex-Gov. Terence McAuliffe amid several school controversies in Northern Virginia, said the commonwealth has better schools than its neighbors.
Youngkin cited a CNBC study ranking Virginia first in the U.S. in education, and first in the nation overall for business – displacing its neighbor in 2023, first-place North Carolina.
“To the new members of President Trump’s administration moving to the area, I want to personally invite you to make Virginia your home,” Youngkin said.
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“Virginia is right across the Potomac. We offer a great quality of life, safe communities, award-winning schools where parents matter, and lower taxes than D.C. or Maryland.”
Maryland was listed 31st in best-for-business, and the District of Columbia was unranked, according to the study.
The ad flashed through several scenes in the Old Dominion, from the capital, Richmond, to the King Street Trolley slinking through Old Town Alexandria.
“It’s why so many people choose Virginia as the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin has called education the “bedrock of attaining the American dream,” and the CNBC study credited both Youngkin and the Democratic state legislative majority for compromising on $2.5 billion in new K-12 funding and 3% raises for teachers.
When asked about Virginia being pitched as a new home for the new administration, Trump transition team spokesman Brian Hughes said Youngkin’s performance speaks for itself as its own advertisement.
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“With the amazing job Governor Youngkin has done bringing common sense, low taxes, and high quality of life to his state, it’s no wonder that he has a compelling case to make to people who are exploring next steps in the region.” Hughes said.
Youngkin was swept into office in 2021 after a major political upset of McAuliffe – as Republicans had been out of power in Richmond for about a decade.
The last Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, reappeared on the political scene during President-elect Donald Trump’s various legal trials, as he, too, had been subject to prosecution by now-special counsel Jack Smith.
In McDonnell’s case, the once-rumored 2012 running-mate candidate’s political future imploded during his own corruption litigation, but the Supreme Court later unanimously threw out Smith’s conviction. Now-Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, ultimately chose then-Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. to run with him that cycle.
With Virginia being the rare state that does not allow its governor to run for consecutive terms, Youngkin’s deputy, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, has launched a 2025 gubernatorial campaign she said seeks to build on the Youngkin-Sears record.
The prominent Democrat in the upcoming contest thus far is Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who gave up her seat in launching her bid. Spanberger will be replaced in Congress by Rep-elect Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, D-Va., – the twin brother of Trump impeachment witness Col. Alexander Vindman.
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