Glenn Youngkin at a rally last week in Chesterfield County, Virginia. (Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Virginia Republicans have chosen businessman Glenn Youngkin to be their nominee for governor. It was a remarkable win for the former CEO of the Carlyle Group, who has not run for office before and was not widely known outside of GOP political circles even six months ago.
The 54 year-old Youngkin pitched himself as a pro-life and pro-gun Christian who was best-positioned to take on Democrats in the vote-rich suburbs of Washington DC, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. He argued he would bring in voters ranging from Never-Trumpers to Tea Partiers to Democrats -- a necessary recipe in a state where Republicans haven’t won a statewide election since 2009.