GOP Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says it’s ‘honor and privilege’ to be considered a 2024 contender

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said it was an ‘honor and privilege’ to be considered a potential White House contender on Sunday.

The popular Republican leader did not say whether or not he’d run in the next presidential race – insisting he was ‘laser-focused’ on the Commonwealth – but insisted he was flattered by the campaign buzz.

Hinting at his higher ambitions, however, Youngkin suggested his 2021 upset victory for the governor’s mansion in Richmond could be a winning roadmap for Republicans to ‘look forward.’

Asked about ‘rumors’ that he’s looking to run for the top job in 2024, Youngkin said on Cats Roundtable on WABC, ‘Those rumors aren’t running around my house right now.’

‘What is most important in our focus is Virginia,’ Youngkin told host John Catsimatidis.

‘I’m always humbled when folks have been asking me this. Forty years ago, I was washing dishes and taking out trash. And two years ago, I was stepping down from my dream job to go serve Virginians,’ the governor went on.

‘It’s a remarkable honor and privilege when someone mentions my name in this context.’

Having been an executive before being elected governor, Youngkin is a relative political novice compared to other Republicans floated for 2024, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin discussed his thoughts on the 2024 race and his state’s policy goals in a new Sunday radio interview

He did not mention Donald Trump but said his 2021 election in Virginia – largely without him bringing up the ex-president – showed Republican voters want to ‘look forward’

But his election in a battleground state despite Democratic powerhouse Terry McAuliffe widely expected to be the victor was hailed as a potential baseline strategy for Republicans’ future post-Donald Trump.

He ran a policy-focused race largely centered around the economy and parental rights in schools. While Trump endorsed him, Youngkin hardly – if ever – let the former president’s name escape his mouth on the campaign trail. 

The governor seemed to allude to that praise when asked about his post mortem of Republicans’ underwhelming performance in the midterms – in the Senate specifically, where the losses of Trump-backed Senate candidates in key races led to Democrats keeping their majority for another two years.

‘I believe that we struggled in a number of races to clearly define what we were going to do,’ Youngkin said.

‘And voters – Virginia voters last year and voters across the country this year – I think reminded us all that it’s about looking forward, not backwards. And it’s time for us to look forward.’

Trump is so far the only GOP figure to formally declare he’s running for president.

Youngkin was a political newcomer when he defeated Democratic powerhouse Terry McAuliffe, Virginia’s former governor (pictured on October 26, 2021 with President Joe Biden)

But his influence appears to be waning over the Republican Party, particularly after several high-profile candidates he backed lost to more moderate opponents in the 2022 midterms.

Those candidates did, however, best establishment GOP rivals in their respective primaries. 

It’s a reminder that Trump’s own bid lies in the hands of those same Republican primary voters, rather than the wider right-wing machine.

Armed with perhaps less support than initially expected, Trump has lashed out at rising GOP stars Youngkin and DeSantis for refusing to definitively rule out their own 2024 challenges to him.

The ex-president fired off a racially-tinged Truth Social post aimed at Youngkin days after the November 8 races.

‘Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me,’ Trump wrote on November 11.

‘I Endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him – or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that, and admits it. Besides, having a hard time with the Dems in Virginia – But he’ll get it done!’