RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — To promote the recently signed Virginia budget and its array of tax cuts, Gov. Glenn Youngkin hosted two high-energy campaign-style celebrations, complete with bright lighting, throngs of supporters and a booming playlist that harkened back to his winning run last year.
Other bill signings and news conferences in Richmond have featured a similar flair, like a carefully staged gas-tax proposal announced at a gas station where Youngkin washed windshields for drivers. And in the otherwise plain governor’s briefing room, a collection of Virginia and American flags has been added.
Youngkin is also increasingly expanding his focus beyond Richmond’s Capitol Square. He was in Nebraska this month to give the keynote speech at the state GOP convention. He plans additional stops on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidates after Labor Day, along with appearances for candidates in some of Virginia’s most competitive congressional races.
In his first six months as governor, Youngkin has moved quickly to assert himself as a new voice in the party. It’s a dramatic and tightly choreographed transformation for a political newcomer who appears to be carefully cultivating his public image in a way that’s driving talk about his possible ambitions for higher office.
“By and large they have an operation that’s more coordinated, scripted,” said longtime Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. “They have an image they want to put forward, and they’re not trying to do...
The Alberta government under Premier Danielle Smith has banned gender-affirming health care for youth in the province. Hear Rachel Gilmore and More: A Tyee Event on Battling Online Lies The Tyee ...