Is the Youngkin Coalition the best path the GOP can take?

[RFK 2024]

What works in Virginia might not work in Ohio.

How liberal can you go to try to win blue states before you start losing soft red states is the universal question of republican politics.

I don't think losing Ohio is an issue, and the fact is Republicans do need to expand their coalition beyond nationalism / fringe right figures if they want to win again, and someone like Youngkin could be their best choice.  It's not like he's super moderate either, his policies are still solidly Republican. He's pro-life, anti-COVID restrictions, right wing on culture war issues.  His appeal to suburban voters could translate well at the national level, and any alt right support he loses would almost certainly be cancelled out by gains with traditional conservatives.  I see it as a win-win situation.

[DaleCooper]

The GOP primary voters just can't select candidates that aren't mentally ill. They can't do it anymore.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Stop thinking that Youngkin's victory from 2021 can be so easily replicated nationally. It wasn't quite a fluke, but the circumstances were still very specific to Virginia that year.

[RFK 2024]

Stop thinking that Youngkin's victory from 2021 can be so easily replicated nationally. It wasn't quite a fluke, but the circumstances were still very specific to Virginia that year.

It’s true that McAuliffe was a uniquely terrible establishment candidate, but the same could be said about Biden 2024 or Harris/Buttigieg/whoever runs in 2028.  I’m not sure what makes 2021 that unique minus the COVID pandemic.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

The problem is that the "Youngkin Coalition" is mostly contingent on the Democrats botching things rather than anything the GOP can do on its own. Other than perhaps being pragmatic, Youngkin is pretty conservative but he avoided any serious pitfalls Republicans have been falling into (like election denialism and anti-vaxxerism) which is not something the GOP has shown themselves to be prone to avoid since then.

[THG]

Yes. Winning and not scaring away swing voters is the best path we can take. Which is why of course, we won't do so.

[หมูเด้ง]

The problem is that the "Youngkin Coalition" is mostly contingent on the Democrats botching things rather than anything the GOP can do on its own. Other than perhaps being pragmatic, Youngkin is pretty conservative but he avoided any serious pitfalls Republicans have been falling into (like election denialism and anti-vaxxerism) which is not something the GOP has shown themselves to be prone to avoid since then.

I mean they did set the traps defensively on COVID and opened up on education. However, with Dobbs, every single attack on Wokeness will now be retorted with whether they support the newest post-American abortion nonsense.

[Comrade Luanne Platter]

Candidate, Money Spent, Votes, $ Spent per Vote

Glenn Youngkin   $64,487,829   1,663,158   $38.77
Terry McAuliffe   $68,777,633   1,599,470   $43.00
Princess Blanding   $32,595   23,107   $1.41

By this metric, the Princess Blanding coalition is the real electoral winner.