https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...9lF?li=BBnb7Kz
The Republican candidate for Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Glenn Youngkin, won by a hair late Tuesday evening, 50.7% to 48.6%, against Democratic favorite Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin won thanks to large appeal to an often-overlooked voter bloc: parents.
© Provided by Washington Examiner “We’re going to embrace our parents, not ignore them,” Youngkin said in his victory speech at nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. He recognized the fact that his campaign capitalized on culture wars, a subject any political strategist would tell a politician to ignore. “A campaign that came from nowhere … turned into a movement,” Youngkin said in his speech. “Together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth,” he vowed.
Youngkin’s victory has already changed the trajectory of Virginia, a state so blue President Joe Biden won it by 10 points in 2020. In fact, Virginia is so liberal that Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in Virginia in 12 years. Youngkin’s largest gains were among suburban voters. In northern Virginia’s Loudoun County, what Fox News dubbed “ground zero for the education culture wars,” McAuliffe won, but only by 10 points. By contrast, Biden won that area by 25 points in 2020.
This has big implications for midterm elections in 2022, of course, but it has even bigger implications for the culture wars in Virginia and nationwide. Youngkin’s strong victory, running on a platform of lower taxes, reducing crime, and applauding parental involvement in public schools, is proof of what conservatives have been saying for years: The culture wars are real, they are important to voters, and they can be the difference between putting a Republican in office or the opposite.
The data show this too:
The turning point in the Youngkin race likely came during a widely watched debate in September. McAuliffe and Youngkin were neck and neck when McAuliffe said during the debate, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Rather than agree or ignore his comment, Youngkin took the polar opposite stance, standing beside parents. “I believe parents should be in charge of their kids' education,” he said.
Turns out, whether or not parents should have a say in their child’s education is a popular, even powerful, topic among voters, too. Exit polls said whether or not schools should teach critical race theory — the idea that history should be viewed through the lens of racism alone — was a top concern of 25% of voters and an important concern to nearly 75% of voters. Schools were also physically closed for 18 months in Virginia, thanks to Democratic leadership. This trifecta of cultural issues was enough to push parents to the polls in revenge.
Cultural issues are the heart and soul of America because they collectively reflect what people value and how they live their lives. To tell parents to ignore what their child learns for the sake of embracing liberal ideology such as critical race theory or even other concepts such as “diversifying the economy,” an actual piece of McAuliffe’s platform, is absurd. Conservatives nationwide should take note of Youngkin’s victory because of his powerful stance on culture issues and do likewise.
Abortion, transgender issues, critical race theory, curriculum. These are as important as lower taxes and reduced crime. Thankfully, parents in Virginia saw through McAuliffe’s charade and elected Youngkin, a man who supports their involvement in school, their voice in Virginia culture, and the way conservative ideas will improve their lives.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator's Young Journalist Award.
the venal, racist haters of teh democraticommunist party lost Virginia - but likely learned a lesson.
Lying is their stock in trade - and they will learn to watch their tongues as to their radical marxist racist hating Agenda /ideology
They will Lie about their true aims adn objectives - then after elections show who they really are - elitist, arrogant, entitled 'Rulers' ( in their own feeble minds) to gain 'POWER" - and enslave America to their marxist tyranny.
They Lie
TheyLie
And They Lie!!!
Buck fiden
From my cold dead hands!