Month: June 2023

Since his successful gubernatorial campaign, political commentators have speculated about Gov. Glenn Youngkin running for president. While Youngkin has repeatedly said he will not campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination, a recent ad by the Spirit of Virginia PAC and reported meetings with potential donors has raised questions about whether the governor is truly out of the race.

Posted by Youngkin on Twitter on May 18, the ad opens with him saying “it’s pretty overwhelming to contemplate the future of America,” and calling on the legacy of Ronald Reagan. The video has many of the classic markers of a presidential campaign, including a call to action against the current administration. Youngkin does not mention Virginia in the ad specifically, instead he speaks to Americans more broadly. However, the governor has insisted for months that he is focused on Virginia and this year’s state legislature elections.

“I’m not expecting him to jump in,” says J. Miles Coleman from the UVA Center for Politics. “You don’t just get into a presidential race willy-nilly if you’re a serious candidate.” Coleman points out that Youngkin would be at a serious disadvantage if he entered the race late, but would have difficulty entering sooner due to the upcoming Virginia legislative elections.

Unless there is a major shakeup with current frontrunners—former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—Coleman thinks Youngkin will probably stay out of the 2024 race. But there are definite benefits to Youngkin’s mixed messaging.

“By not totally shutting down whether [he is] in or not, [Youngkin is] giving himself some mechanism to stay in the headlines,” says Coleman. Staying in the news gives him the opportunity to increase his national name recognition and better position himself for future races. “2028 seems like it is a long time away, but in politics … there is always another election.”

Additionally, Youngkin’s current messaging prepares him for a last-minute entrance into the race if it later becomes viable. “He’s Republicans’ roundly palatable guy, there is something for every faction to like,” says Coleman about reports that supporters are encouraging Youngkin to enter the Republican presidential primary.

While Youngkin is not a primary candidate, his impact on the field and Republican messaging has been massive. The Virginia governor’s campaign on parental rights and critical race theory has been mirrored by many of the current candidates. Most notably, DeSantis hired several key figures from Youngkin’s campaign for his own presidential run.

Here in Charlottesville, Youngkin’s platform can be most directly witnessed through his appointments to the UVA Board of Visitors. By appointing figures like Bert Ellis, the governor is undermining the viability of progressive policies, including diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Prior to joining the BOV, Ellis was a staunch critic of it and its support of DEI initiatives at UVA, saying that the school is “already diverse.”

“If I were Youngkin … I would focus like hell on my legislative elections,” Coleman says. “If he goes the 2028 route, he better hope that … whoever the Republican nominee is loses to Biden. If he has to wait eight years, he’s really irrelevant.”

Candidates for the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates convened for a forum on May 31, three weeks ahead of the primary elections. 

Hosted by the Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents, the People’s Coalition, and the Legal Aid Justice Center, the event gave candidates for state Senate District 11 and House District 54 an opportunity to discuss housing and criminal justice issues in Virginia.

In the Senate race, Democratic incumbent Creigh Deeds is facing a primary challenge from Delegate Sally Hudson. While Deeds has been involved in local politics for more than three decades, Hudson also has a strong electoral record in Charlottesville, winning her initial primary handily in 2019, and being reelected in 2021 with 78.5 percent of the vote.

The other candidate in the Senate race is Republican Philip Hamilton, who ran against Hudson in 2021. Since Hamilton is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, he will face off against either Deeds or Hudson for the seat in November.

At the forum, Deeds and Hudson spoke about their legislative records and progressive stances, while Hamilton called for major changes to the legislature and the implementation of conservative policies.

On the topic of affordable housing and the role of taxes as a source of funding, Hudson focused on Gov. Glenn Youngkin as a barrier to major tax reforms that would protect lower-income households without giving unneeded tax cuts to higher-income households. Discussing the proposal of major tax cuts, Deeds expressed his deep frustration with the idea, arguing that the current surplus is a product of underfunding in key programs like school construction: “There is red in my ears, this is a fiscally irresponsible proposal.”

Responding to the same question, Hamilton blamed current issues with housing on the federal government and widespread inflation, but did mention that housing could be funded with money from the privatization of ABC stores and the legalization of marijuana.

On the House side, Democrats Bellamy Brown, Katrina Callsen, and Dave Norris are vying for Hudson’s soon-to-be vacated seat. All three are major players in Charlottesville politics, and drew upon their experience in their pitches to candidates.

Norris has been involved with local politics the longest, previously serving as Charlottesville’s mayor and a city councilor, and is active with several local nonprofits. As the founding executive director of PACEM, Norris is passionate about affordable housing. At the forum, he argued that over incarceration must be addressed as part of the housing crisis, with funding shifted toward housing.

Charlottesville native Brown previously served as chair of the Police Civilian Oversight Board and as the city’s minority business commissioner. When asked about his time with the PCOB, Brown emphasized that his work with the board, and the creation of a new ordinance under his leadership, protects Charlottesville residents. He also spoke about how the legacy of slavery and discrimination continues to impact people of color through incarceration.

Coming to the area to attend UVA, Callsen quickly became involved in local politics, and currently serves as Charlottesville’s deputy city attorney and as the chair of the Albemarle County School Board. Arriving at the forum late in a graduation robe, Callsen quickly engaged the audience by sharing how attacks on education and women’s rights drew her to run for office, and spoke about the “need for strong, compassionate people in Richmond.” When asked what her top priorities would be, Callsen spoke about the urgent problem of mass incarceration in the state.

While many of the candidates’ priorities and responses overlapped, the forum highlighted the potential solutions and need for action on housing and criminal justice. The city has been grappling with the rising cost of housing and the ensuing housing crisis for years, but it remains an ongoing problem. Similarly, police reform has been a longtime priority in Charlottesville, but there is more work to be done.

For those still undecided about who to cast their ballot for in the June 20 primary, a recording of the forum in its entirety can be found on the Legal Aid Justice Center Facebook page.