Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, right, gives his wife Suzanne, a high-five during a rally in Chesterfield, Virginia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Youngkin beat Democrat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
By Will Weissert and Sarah RankinThe Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governor’s race on Tuesday, tapping into culture war fights over schools and race to unite former President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters with enough suburban voters to become the first Republican to win statewide office here in 12 years.
The 54-year-old Youngkin’s defeat of Democrat Terry McAuliffe marked a sharp turnabout in a state that has shifted to the left over the past decade and was captured by President Joe Biden last year by a 10-point margin. It is certain to add to the Democrats’ anxiety about their grip on political power heading into next year’s midterms, when the party’s thin majority in Congress could be erased.
The election was the firs
