Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has been touted as a potential Republican rival to Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination.
Republicans who loathe the idea of another Trump nomination are said to see the moderate Old Dominion conservative as a ‘lifeline’ candidate as former golden boy Ron DeSantis continues to sink in the polls .
Youngkin, 56, ousted longtime Clinton family ally and liberal-leaning former state governor Terry McAuliffe in 2021, with many suggesting he was part of a new wave of Republican leaders.
However, with the GOP failing to meet 2022 midterm expectations and still failing to find a substantial alternative to the controversial Trump, Youngkin’s name is being mooted as a “lifeline” candidate according to some.
The Virginia governor has a 57% approval rating in a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020, with polls showing he would be the first Republican to win a presidential race in the liberal-leaning state since 2004 by number of people voted today.
With former Trump Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Trump loyalist Chris Christie among those who fail, another fresh Republican has been introduced to take on Trump: Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin, whose term is limited and can no longer run for governor in 2025, says he is more focused on his own state’s November assembly elections.
Earlier this year, Axios announced it was considering re-entering the 2024 race – after dropping out – after DeSantis performed far worse than expected on the campaign trail.
“I’m excited about the mid-terms,” he told the the wall street journal. “It gives us a chance to present our case to voters and say, ‘This is how we did it. We would like you to extend our leadership license by electing a Republican-led House and overthrowing the Senate. ”
He endorsed ten lead candidates this summer, and each of them qualified for November’s overall.
“If Mr. Youngkin overthrows the Senate in the fall and no alternative to Mr. Trump has emerged, the pressure on the governor to run for president will be enormous, regardless of looming deadlines for state filings,” writes the Journal’s editorial board. .
It comes after DeSantis and his wife Casey were heckled by irate protesters who referenced an embarrassing claim that the Florida governor ate chocolate pudding with his hands.
The 2024 presidential hopeful and his glamorous wife walked away awkwardly as two women wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Bitches get stuff done” targeted them in Menlo, Iowa, on Friday.
Heather Ryan, 51, shouted her protest into a megaphone at the top of her voice, then launched into a rude tirade at a male bystander who tried to stop her.
Onlookers claim she also referred to DeSantis as “pudding fingers,” although that moment was not caught on camera.
It was a reference to a Daily Beast article published earlier this year claiming the lawmaker ate chocolate pudding without utensils, a claim DeSantis denied but has continued to haunt him ever since.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey were greeted by two vocal hecklers on their first leg of a six-city tour of Iowa on Friday
The two liberal protesters donned all black and stood next to Freedom Rock in Menlo, Iowa, waiting for DeSantis to arrive
CAUTION, STRONG LANGUAGE
Instead, he moved on to talk about his commitment to restoring the US military to a mission-first mentality. He said the Melo Freedom Rock protesters did not respect veterans.
“Racist, fascist, anti-gay. Ron DeSantis, go away,’ Heather Ryan, 51, of Bondurant, Iowa and Kara Ryan, 28, of Des Moines, Iowa shouted into a megaphone.
Donald Trump also jumped on the chocolate pudding claims and included a line about DeSantis’ “dirty fingers” in one of his ads.
The claims have fueled claims that DeSantis is a socially awkward candidate who lacks the charisma to propel him to the White House.
DeSantis, a former GOP golden boy for his management of the Sunshine State, continues to slump in the polls, with figures from FiveThirtyEight showing he is the choice of just 14.3% of GOP voters, down from 53, 7% who would like to see Donald Trump run. still president.
The Ryan ladies told DailyMail.com that they were made aware of DeSantis’ very intimate stop in Menlo by TikTok.
“They’re not even from this county and they come and they want to yell at other people,” DeSantis told reporters while still drowned out by megaphone chants and the tinkling of cowbells. ‘That’s not how we work. And we want to elevate people, we want to aim higher. We want a country that can be united again.
“People like that are holding this country back,” he added. “People like that are the reason we lose as Americans, because they have no respect for what those people in the uniform have done. And they don’t care about honoring the people who stood up and fought for us.
‘So, as the only veteran running for president, I can tell you that I care. It means a lot to me.’
Heather Ryan told DailyMail.com that she considers DeSantis to be the devil.
“I protest against Satan,” Ryan said. “So that’s what I’m protesting. He is Satan.’
“I think he’s more dangerous than Trump because he’s smarter than Trump,” she added. “Trump is a moron. You know, Trump has a big personality, so I’m sure he’ll probably get the nomination. DeSantis doesn’t have a personality, but he’s still dangerous.
The protester shouted into a megaphone: “Racist, fascist, anti-gay. Ron DeSantis, go away’, as the Never Back Down PAC campaign bus pulled up to the first stop
“People like that are holding this country back. People like that are the reason we lose as Americans, because they have no respect for what those people in uniform have done,’ DeSantis explained as the protesters persisted.
Heather Ryan, 51, of Bondurant, Iowa (right) and Kara Ryan, 28, of Des Moines, Iowa (left) told DailyMail.com they were protesting the ‘devil’ and claiming DeSantis was “more dangerous” than Trump because he is “smarter” than the ex-president
DeSantis & Co. invades Iowa this week ahead of their appearance at the State Fair on Saturday.
The nation’s first primary caucus state will host nearly every presidential candidate to speak out on the political soapbox, sit down for a ‘living room edge chat’ with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds , mingle with fair goers and charm caucus goers by flipping a few burgers or trying unique food selections.
The only 2024 hopefuls not showing up at the Fair are former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election. Biden takes on two Democratic contenders, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson, who are both coming to Iowa this weekend.
Taking off from the capital, Des Moines, on Friday morning, DeSantis’ first stop of the day was at Freedom Rock in Menlo, where protesters were the first to greet him.
He then met a much more welcoming crowd at the Downtowner Family Restaurant in Atlantic, then stopped at an American Legion in Harlan before making a quick stop at the Audubon pit stop.
The day ended with a very brief visit to a location of charter bus company Windstar Lines in front of its town hall in Panora, Iowa.
