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GOP chooses statewide ticket for November

Associated Press | 5/13/2021, 6 p.m.
Glenn Youngkin, a political newcomer who campaigned as a conservative, Christian outsider, bested a field of seven candidates to emerge …

FALLS CHURCH, VA - Glenn Youngkin, a political newcomer who campaigned as a conservative, Christian outsider, bested a field of seven candidates to emerge as Virginia Republicans’ nominee for governor, in a year when the GOP hopes to end a 12-year losing streak in statewide races.

Mr. Youngkin defeated a hard-right contender in state Sen. Amanda Chase, who closely aligned herself with former President Trump, as well as an establishment candidate, former House Speaker Kirk Cox, who had more than 30 years of experience in government as well as the endorsements of former Govs. George Allen and Bob McDonnell.

While Mr. Youngkin did not embrace former President Trump to the same extent as Sen. Chase, he spoke favorably of the former president during the campaign. He also made “election integrity” a top issue in his campaign, allowing him to appeal to Trump voters who still believe the 2020 election was stolen from him without having to invoke the former president’s name directly.

Republicans also chose former Delegate Winsome Sears as their candidate for lieuten- ant governor and Delegate Jason Miyares of Virginia Beach as their candidate for attorney general.

Twenty years ago, Ms. Sears became the first Black Republican woman elected to the Virginia General Assembly when she served a single term in the House of Delegates in 2001 representing a Hamp- ton Roads district. An immigrant from Jamaica, Marine Corps veteran and small business owner, Ms. Sears now resides in the Winchester area.

In her campaign, she highlighted her more recent work as national chairperson for Black Americans to Re-Elect President Trump.

Ms. Sears beat five other candidates, including two — former Delegate Tim Hugo from Fairfax County and Virginia Beach Delegate Glenn Davis — who were far more active in recent GOP politics.

Delegate Miyares, an at- torney in private practice, won against three other candidates: Leslie Haley, a law firm partner and elected official in Chester- field County; Chuck Smith, a former U.S. Navy JAG commander; and Jack White, a minister, Army veteran and former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr.

More than 30,000 GOP delegates cast ballots last Saturday at what the state Republican Party called an “unassembled convention” to choose their nominees for November’s contest. Delegates used “ranked- choice voting,” in which they ranked the candidates from first choice to last on the ballots they submitted.

After winning the nomination in the sixth and final round of counting on Monday night, Mr. Youngkin passed the 50 percent threshold to win the nomination. He later received the endorsement of former President Trump.

Mr. Youngkin, a former CEO of The Carlyle Group investment firm, is making his first run for public office. He lent his campaign more than $5 million and spent more than any other candidate through March 31, according to data from the Virginia Public Ac- cess Project. He campaigned as a “conservative Christian outsider” and highlighted his business experience.

“I am prepared to lead, excited to serve and profoundly humbled by the trust the people have placed in me,” Mr. Youngkin said on Twitter. “Virginians have made it clear that they are ready for a political outsider with proven business experience to bring real change in Richmond.”

In a statement late Monday, the Virginia Republican Party celebrated Mr. Youngkin’s nomination, calling him a “homegrown Virginian” who had “nothing handed to him.”

“From his life experiences, Glenn has developed the skills and character to lead Virginia with humility and courage,” party officials said. “He has the know-how to get Virginia moving again and rebuild it into the best place to live, work, and raise a family in America.”

GOP Chairman Rich Anderson said Mr. Youngkin ran a “flawless campaign,” adding that he looked forward to throwing “the full force of the Republican Party of Virginia behind him in the coming months.”

The state Democratic Party painted a different picture, calling Mr. Youngkin a “pro-Trump extremist.”

“Throughout this campaign, Youngkin has advanced Trump’s dangerous elec- tion conspiracy theories, opposed critical COVID-19 relief for working families and small businesses, and threatened to gut Vir- ginians’ health care,” Virginia Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Swecker said in a statement.

Democrats will choose their nominee in a state-run primary June 8. Early voting in that primary already has begun. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe is the front-runner in a field of five candidates.

Virginia bars incumbent governors from seeking reelection, so Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam is barred from seeking a second term this year.

Virginia is the only state with an open-seat gubernatorial contest this year; the race is being closely scrutinized as an early signal of each party’s political strength heading into the 2022 congressional elections.

Republicans have not won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009. But Republicans have some hope of ending their drought this year. Since 1973, only once has the party controlling the White House gone on to win the governor’s race in Virginia the next year.

The GOP convention was open to Virginia voters who pre-registered as delegates. People who had voted in past Democratic primaries were allowed to participate if they renounced their earlier Democratic votes and promised to support the Republican nominees in November.