Ex-Va. Gov.: School Safety, Biden Propelled Youngkin's Gubernatorial Victory

Republican Glenn Youngkin's gubernatorial upset in Virginia was made possible by "assaults in the schools" in suburban northern Virginia that were "covered up by school officials," former Virginia GOP Gov. Jim Gilmore said Sunday.

In an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis on his show, "The Cats Roundtable," Gilmore called Youngkin's win "a sea change."

"The people of Virginia finally became disgusted with the left," he said.

"We had a real issue of assaults in the schools, particularly in Loudoun County, that had been … covered up by school officials," he charged.

Gilmore added, former Virginia Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe doomed his comeback chances in a debate.

"[He] said he didn't really think parents ought to have a lot of influence on what was going on in the schools," Gilmore said. "That just created an explosion on the education issue. It made a big difference."

Youngkin, in the weeks before the election, highlighted the case of a student who allegedly committed sex crimes in two area schools — incidents that sparked community outrage at educators' slow and secretive response to incidents involving the safety of children.

But Gilmore saw a second front on which Youngkin took advantage: "the unpopularity of President [Joe] Biden."

"The collapse of his policies has been a drag-down on the Democrat ticket," Gilmore said. "This was a big win for the Republican, Glenn Youngkin, and for his entire ticket. And it represents a big change, not only in Virginia, but in America."

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