Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he won’t launch a campaign for the 2024 presidential nomination this year and will focus on putting the state Legislature fully in Republican hands.
Mr. Youngkin, whose 2021 victory made him a rising GOP star, confirmed his plans during a late Monday talk with Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerard Baker in California.
“Are you going to be dusting off that fleece jacket and getting out on the presidential campaign trail later this year?” Mr. Baker said.
“No,“ Mr. Youngkin said.
For weeks, Mr. Youngkin has signaled he is more concerned about politics in his Richmond backyard.
“We have a House that’s controlled by Republicans and a Senate that’s controlled by Democrats,” Mr. Youngkin said at the event hosted by the Milken Institute. “I want to hold our House, and I’d like to flip our Senate. And I think we’re doing a really good job in Virginia, and I think this is a chance to bring that to voters.”
The governor gave the interview after having recently returned from a trip to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
Mr. Youngkin swept into the governor’s mansion in 2021 with a campaign that focused on schools and parents’ rights after a disappointing 2020 for the GOP. His race was viewed as a blueprint for other Republicans and sparked talk of a presidential bid.
Yet Mr. Youngkin barely makes a dent in early polling for 2024.
Former President Donald Trump is outperforming the emerging field, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to be his chief rival. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a declared candidate, tends to occupy third place.
Big wins in Richmond this year would raise his profile among Republicans, though at that point it would likely be too late to jump into the race for the White House.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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