By Pam Bondi for RealClearPolitics
Virginia’s election results, and the tremendous success of Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, send a clear sign: If the 2024 presidential election was held today, former President Trump would win decisively and sweep a whole new wave of America First patriots into office.
For the first time in more than a decade, Republicans won a statewide race in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The significance of this moment should not be lost on anyone. It surely wasn’t lost on Vice President Kamala Harris, who said last month that “what happens in Virginia will, in large part, determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on.” She was absolutely right.
This major upset was made possible by the most powerful political movement in modern American history: MAGA. President Trump and his base were unquestionably key to victory.
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Youngkin earned President Trump’s endorsement back in early May and campaigned with it for nearly 200 days. President Trump doubled down more than 10 times, encouraging the MAGA base to turn out in huge numbers and overcome any fraud. That’s exactly what happened on Election Day.
Youngkin was blessed by an opponent who ran an entire failed campaign against “Trump.” Tens of millions of dollars were spent statewide ensuring every voter knew that Glenn Youngkin was endorsed and supported President Trump and his America First agenda. The result? Voters turned out accordingly: for the Trump-endorsed candidate!
Beyond the endorsement, Youngkin wisely campaigned on the platform laid out by the 45th president, which is also what allowed him to activate the MAGA base. In President Trump’s Sept. 17, 2020, remarks, he said, “Critical race theory is being forced into our children’s schools, it’s being imposed into workplace trainings, and it’s being deployed to rip apart friends, neighbors and families.”
Echoing President Trump’s 1776 Commission, Youngkin pledged to ensure schools teach kids all of American history, instead of focusing only on race and oppression. Youngkin also reiterated his support for school choice and for creating more charter schools in the commonwealth, two policies championed by President Trump’s Education Department.
But from issues like infrastructure and taxes to supporting law enforcement and implementing voter ID laws, Glenn Youngkin is going to be a champion for President Trump’s America First agenda, because it’s what he has been campaigning on from day one.
This was the first nationalized race of the midterms, where Democrats and Republicans pitted Biden/Harris against Donald Trump. The outcome was deafening. Which means there’s a lot that candidates can learn.
The most sought-after endorsement in history still comes from President Donald J. Trump. Support for the America First policies is as broad as it is deep. And the mainstream media still has no idea what MAGA is.
However, as we look forward, it is also important to recognize the impact these lessons have on the future of the Republican Party and the entire movement; 2022 and 2024 are closer than some realize, as is a future filled with candidates supported by President Trump and who embody his America First agenda!
Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.