A New Cultural Tea Party Was Born In Virginia
Just as the Tea Party came out of a reinvigorated base of conservative voters 10 years ago, Tuesday's elections showed that a new movement is back.
By Tristan Justice
November 3, 2021
Republicans won statewide in Virginia Tuesday night for the first time since 2009, capturing all top three offices along with a majority in the House of Delegates. It was only a year ago President Joe Biden carried the state by 10 points where Democrats held a 10-seat advantage in the lower chamber.
“This is our moment,” Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin opened in his victory speech to supporters. “It’s our moment for parents, for grandparents, for aunts, for uncles, for neighbors to change the future of Virginia’s children’s lives, to change their Virginia journey. It’s our time to turn that vision into a reality.”
It’s no mystery why Youngkin began his address with a nod to parents, who became a centerpiece of his campaign after his opponent, former Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe, pledged to block parental decision-making in schools.
“I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision,” McAuliffe said on the September debate stage in the gaffe heard around the country, revealing Democrats’ true feelings on kids in government schools.
The moment marked an inflection point for Youngkin, who transformed his campaign from that of a conventional beltway Republican running in blue Virginia to one of a conservative crusader in the culture war. When McAuliffe complained the comment was taken out of context, it provoked Youngkin’s staff to release an ad featuring clips of the former governor making the same assertion.
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https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/03/a-new-cultural-tea-party-was-born-in-virginia/
