Gov. Glenn Younkin (R-VA) insisted he is "focused" on Virginia's legislative elections this November when asked about his presidential ambitions.
In a Wednesday morning interview on Fox News's Mornings with Maria, Youngkin said it was "humbling" to be included among a list of potential GOP candidates for the 2024 race but that flipping Virginia's state legislature to Republican control is his top priority.
"I've said over and over again how humbling it is to even talk about my name in this context," Youngkin said when Maria Bartiromo asked him about running for president. "But I am so focused on Virginia elections this year to make sure that we deliver. We've got a giant agenda, and therefore I'm campaigning across Virginia for our House and Senate delegates and senators. I'm not in Iowa, and I'm not in South Carolina, New Hampshire. We're focusing on Virginia."
Democrats currently control Virginia's state Senate, while Republicans are defending control of the House this November. If the GOP can flip the state Senate, it would allow Youngkin to enact more conservative legislation in Virginia, including restrictions on abortion access, and would aid Youngkin's rising prominence in Republican circles.
Although Youngkin previously claimed that he wasn't running for higher office earlier this year, in May, Republican sources told Axios he was reconsidering a presidential bid. Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch reportedly encouraged Youngkin to run in 2024, according to a Washington Post report this month. Some GOP donors and Murdoch have fretted over finding a viable candidate who can emerge as the Donald Trump alternative in the primary race.
Presidential speculation for Youngkin began almost immediately after he defeated Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) during the 2021 gubernatorial race, the first time a Republican had done so since 2009. Yet Youngkin has so far passed on most of the hallmark steps of a potential presidential candidate. He has eschewed visits to crucial nominating states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
If Youngkin were to make a late entrance into the GOP primary race, he could ultimately miss state filing deadlines, which he noted to Bartiromo.
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"Well, Maria, as I've said, there's nothing more important than us holding our House and flipping our Senate in Virginia. That's where my full attention is. And I'm not, I am not paying attention to the filing deadlines, etc.," he said. "I'm paying attention to making sure we hold our House and flip our Senate. I think this is so important for Virginians and for the nation to see that this can happen. That we can put to work conservative common sense policies, and we can win. And we can bring together a state that was truly blue. People thought it was purple — we can turn it red."
A Roanoke College poll released on Tuesday showed Youngkin garnering 9% support in a hypothetical primary race among Virginia Republican voters, behind Trump at 47% and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at 13%.