Glenn Youngkin was inaugurated as Virginia's 74th governor on Saturday, becoming the first Republican to occupy the Executive Mansion since 2014, and revitalizing a state GOP that had suffered years of statewide losses.
Youngkin, a former private-equity executive and first-time political candidate, took the oath of office on the south Portico of the Virginia State Capitol inRichmond after defeating former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe last November.
"No matter who you voted for, I promise to be your advocate, your voice, your governor," Youngkin said during his speech, where he continued his commitment to eliminate the grocery tax and empower parents of public school students, issues that he ran on heavily during his campaign.
He was the new Democratic Gov. and was ineligible to run for reelection.
In a state that has leaned toward the Democratic Party in recent years, the newly-installed governor led a sweep of Republican statewide offices, with Winsome Sears becoming the Commonwealth's first Black female lieutenant governor and the first Latino attorney general in Virginia history.
The Republicans haven't won a statewide election in the Commonwealth since 2009, when former state attorney general and then-gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell led the party to victories up and down the ballot.
The GOP faced a different political landscape last year.
The GOP lost its majority in the House of Delegates in the year of 2019, as Democrats continued to gain ground in the state's suburban areas.
In the 2020 election, then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden easily defeated then- President Donald Trump by a 10-point margin, fueled by the Republican commander-in-chief's massive unpopularity in the Commonwealth's fast-growing suburban areas.
People watch the swearing-in of Glenn Youngkin at the State Capitol.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Republicans chose to nominate Youngkin in a ranked-choice voting system, despite the fact that they were expected to cruise to victory against a Trumpian challenger.
Youngkin ran a race focused on education and the economy in an effort to peel off swing voters who had fueled Democratic gains in the state. It worked.
He ran against the teaching of critical race theory in the Commonwealth's K-12 public schools.
Republicans are planning to use America's history of racism as a wedge issue in the upcoming elections, because race theorists have examined how America's history of racism continues to reverberate through laws and policies that exist today.
They will face divided government despite Republican exuberance. Republicans regained control of the House of Delegates in the fall, but Democrats still control the state Senate by a small margin.
Youngkin has named several prominent Virginians to his administration, including a former US Office of Personnel Management director and ex-Heritage Foundation president, but the governor hit a speedbump with the legislature.
The repeal of water protections that were implemented during the administration of former President Barack Obama has been criticized by Democrats.
Wheeler will need to be confirmed by both houses of the Virginia legislature in order for Youngkin to continue to back him.
The governor said that Andrew would be on the Glenn Youngkin team. He is very qualified.
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