On Monday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) made a decision on rumors he is jumping into the 2024 race for president after months of speculation.
When asked by the Wall Street Journal’s editor-at-large Gerard Baker, Youngkin said, “No.”
“I’m going to be working in Virginia this year,” he said. “And so our House and Senate are up for full reelection this year. We have a House that’s controlled by Republicans and a Senate that’s controlled by Democrats.”
He told the reporter, “I want to hold our House, and I’d like to flip our Senate. And I think we’re doing a really good job in Virginia, and I think this is a chance to bring that to voters.”
However, a staffer walked the comments back, according to The Hill, reporting, “Youngkin did not appear to directly rule out a 2024 presidential bid. A Youngkin aide told The Hill that the governor was answering Baker’s question in the context that he was focused on Virginia in 2023.”
Key donors from Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign, Jeff Roe and Kristin Davison, recently got behind Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in his potential 2024 run.
On Monday, Bloomberg reported that at a Milken Institute event, Youngkin said, “I think there’s a future for the Republican Party for sure, and it doesn’t necessarily depend on Donald Trump.”
President Trump endorsed Youngkin in his race for Virginia governor over Democrat Terry McAuliffe.