Youngkin's candidates prevail in primaries as GOP aims for Virginia takeover

Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin flexed his political muscles in Tuesday's state's legislative primaries, with all of his preferred candidates in competitive Republican contests winning to set up this fall's battle for control of the state legislature.

Youngkin, a potential presidential contender, endorsed 66 candidates for state Senate and House of Delegates. While many did not have primary opponents, 10 faced competitive nomination fights, and a majority of them will be key battlegrounds in November.

Seven won the GOP nomination on Tuesday. And three won the GOP nomination in earlier contests, since Virginia allows some primaries to be conducted through party-run processes such as conventions or so-called firehouse primaries.

Republicans are trying to net three seats to take control of the state Senate this fall, while also holding onto their slim majority in the House of Delegates. Victory would give Youngkin and his party unified control of government to enact their legislative agenda.

"The results of Tuesday’s state legislative primaries in Virginia are the latest clear sign of momentum for Governor Glenn Youngkin and Republicans heading into the fall’s pivotal General Assembly races," Dave Rexrode, who chair's Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC, wrote in a memo following Tuesday's primaries.

"The Governor was willing to engage both directly with those candidates and fund critical get-out-the-vote programs to ensure they were successful," Rexrode continued.

The seven victorious Republicans who competed in Tuesday's primaries were leading their races by double digits — from 14 to 58 percentage points — according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.

The closest primary for a Youngkin-backed candidate came in the 27th Senate district, where state Del. Tara Durant faced restaurant owner Matt Strickland, who had clashed with the state government over Covid restrictions.

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Durant's race will be a key battleground in November.

Rexrode wrote that November's elections will see an "unprecedented, data driven coordinated campaign" between Youngkin, the Republican State Legislative Committee, and the state House and Senate caucuses, which "will target voters who do not typically vote in off-year elections, compete for swing voters, expand upon the historic Youngkin coalition of 2021, and grow our Republican base."

The success for Youngkin-backed candidates on Tuesday comes as the governor remains in the mix as a potential presidential contender. Last month Youngkin appeared to say he does not plan to run for president, but his team walked back those comments, leaving the door open to a White House run.

So November’s elections in Virginia will be a key test for Youngkin’s own brand and his political operation — and his team is sounding optimistic.

"It is still a challenging climb, but the strength of Governor Youngkin’s image, job approval, and the support of his commonsense agenda is critical to a successful November," Rexrode wrote.