Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) indicated he may not rule out a run for president in 2024 on Wednesday, as concerns circulate over the viability of the top GOP contenders.
“The first thing I’m going to do this year is first be a great governor, the best I can possibly be, and I think we are doing a really good job in Virginia,” Youngkin said on Fox News Wednesday morning. “But on top of that, we're going to hold our House, we're going to flip our Senate. We're going to continue the great work that we've been doing.”
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The Virginia governor has previously said he would not consider a bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, citing his commitment to flip the Democratic-led Senate. However, Youngkin has recently reignited speculation about a possible presidential run following the release of a campaign-style video on social media in mid-May.
Youngkin followed similar remarks from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who refused to state whether or not he’d enter the presidential race prior to his campaign launch.
Prior to launching his presidential campaign in a live conversation on Twitter with Elon Musk in May, the Florida governor claimed he had no plans to run for president as he was focused on serving his state.
"No plans 'cause I have an election I have to do right now in the state of Florida," DeSantis said on The National Desk last year. "We've had a great 3 1/2 years. We're gonna finish very strong, and obviously we think we need to keep this going in the state of Florida to make sure we keep the state free and make sure we continue to capitalize on all the successes that we've had."
Youngkin elevated the Virginia GOP in the 2023 primary elections, with all 10 of the Republican candidates he endorsed rising to victory, creating a clearer path to achieve his goal of obtaining total control of the state legislature in this year’s election.
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Youngkin beat out former Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021, shaking up the Democratic-leaning state.
Despite not launching a campaign, Youngkin is still gathering attention from national polling numbers, pointing to indications that he has not closed the door on entering the 2024 race altogether. A survey conducted in March examining hypothetical general election matchups showed Youngkin ahead of Biden by 16 points from registered voters. A Roanoke College Poll showed 42% of Republicans believe Youngkin should run for president, with 28% of Democrats believing he should enter the race. Six percent of Republican respondents favored Youngkin for the GOP nominee for president in 2024.