By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2024-11-27 02:21:15 | Updated at 2024-11-27 04:55:43
2 hours ago
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin encouraged future Trump administration officials and staffers on Tuesday to choose “the great Commonwealth” as their home over DC and Maryland.
“To the new members of President Trump’s administration moving to the area – I want to personally invite you to make Virginia your home,” Youngkin said in a video posted on X.
Youngkin, who upset Democrat Terry McAuliffe in 2021 to take the governor’s mansion, cited Virginia’s high marks in education and safety and low tax rates compared to other areas inside the Beltway.
“Virginia is right across the Potomac,” the governor said. “We offer a great quality of life, safe communities, award-winning schools where parents matter and lower taxes than DC or Maryland.”
“It’s why so many people choose Virginia as the best place to live, work and raise a family,” he added.
Youngkin’s pitch included striking images of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park, and street scenes from Old Town Alexandria, a nationally designated historic district on the Potomac River waterfront.
A Trump transition team spokesman told Fox News that Youngkin makes a “compelling case” for Virginia.
“With the amazing job Governor Youngkin has done bringing common sense, low taxes, and high quality of life to his state, it’s no wonder that he has a compelling case to make to people who are exploring next steps in the region,” Brian Hughes told the outlet.
Virginia is already where Vice President-elect JD Vance and numerous Republican insiders call home.
Trump National Golf Club is in Potomac Falls, Va., just about 25 miles from the White House.
Democrats, however, control both chambers of the statehouse in Richmond, both US Senate seats and the majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
Virginia’s northern suburbs near DC are also deep blue, with Trump taking in just 20% of the vote in Arlington; 24% in Alexandria and 31% in Fairfax County, according to Axios.
The outlet notes that those figures, however, are far higher than the 7% support he received in DC.
