Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin should run for president, if only to "test the proposition that there are still enough sane Republicans out there” to steer the party away from "the worst aspects of Trumpism," according to Washington Post editor and columnist Karen Tumulty, whose opinions typically lean left of center. She says Youngkin has shed a trail of "telltale clues" lately, including a meeting with GOP megadonors in NYC and media interviews "outside the conservative bubble." What's more, in a state that voted 10 points in favor of Biden in 2020—and which Youngkin barely won in 2021—his approval rating is now pretty good at 53%, according to recent polling.
The "former private-equity guy" is a political rookie, but Tumulty thinks he has performed a decent balancing act. For example, he speaks of prioritizing "election integrity" but also acknowledged Biden’s victory and condemned the Jan. 6 insurrection; and he's anti-abortion but willing to sign a relatively moderate bill banning abortion after 20 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother’s life.
Those positions put him in stark contrast to the likes of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, not to mention Donald Trump, who "stands a strong chance of winning the Republican nomination and a reasonable one, God forbid, of returning to the White House," writes Tumulty, who thinks Youngkin (or someone like him) might even show that Republicans can win the popular vote, which has happened only once since 1988. Read her column here. (More Glenn Youngkin stories.)
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