Summary
The 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next governor of Virginia. Incumbent Democratic Governor Ralph Northam is ineligible to run for reelection, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officeholder from serving consecutive terms.
The Democratic Party selected its candidate in a primary election on June 8, 2021. The Republican Party held a convention on May 8, 2021, at 37 polling locations throughout the state. On May 10, businessman Glenn Youngkin was declared the Republican nominee. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe won the Democratic primary. Teacher Princess Blanding is running under the newly formed Liberation Party.
About
Videos
Virginia’s First Gubernatorial Debate
September 16, 2021
By: WUSA9
Terry McAuliffe
Current Position: GMU Distinguished Visiting Professor since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2021 Governor
Former Position(s): Governor from 2014 – 2018; Chair, Democratic National Committee from 2001 – 2005; Chair, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign since 2008
Terry McAuliffe is a lifelong entrepreneur and proud Democrat who served as the 72nd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014-2018. As governor, Terry focused on making the Commonwealth welcoming and inclusive and building a 21st Century economy that created good jobs and expanded economic opportunity for all Virginians.
For more information, see this Terry McAullife post.
Glenn Youngkin
Current Position: Republican Nominee for Governor of Virginia
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2021 Governor
Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American businessman who is the Republican nominee in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. Prior to entering politics, he spent 25 years at the private-equity firm The Carlyle Group, rising to become its CEO in January 2018.
He stepped down from the Carlyle Group in 2020, and in January 2021 he announced his candidacy for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election, and won the Republican nomination on May 10, 2021.
For more information, see this Glenn Youngkin post.
Issues
Governance
Terry McAuliffe
N/A
Glenn Youngkin
Make Goverment Work For You
Virginia’s government is failing its fundamental mission – serving the people. Our system is broken as customer service at agencies such as the DMV and VEC disappears. Glenn will make government work by:
- Fixing the DMV & the Virginia Employment Commission
- Protecting our Constitutional Rights
- Conducting a Statewide Transparency Audit to Root out Waste, Fraud & Abuse
- Restoring Photo ID Laws & Making it Easy to Vote and Hard to Cheat
- Investing More Money in Roads & Highways
- Completing Long-Delayed Environmental Projects
Civil Rights
Terry McAuliffe
Lifting Up Black Virginians: Terry’s Plan to Create a Stronger, More Equitable Commonwealth
Creating Opportunities for Black Virginians
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will take on the systemic racism that plagues our Commonwealth. That means addressing racial disparities and creating opportunities for Black Virginians to build wealth through homeownership and by investing in Black-owned businesses. Terry will continue his fight to defend and advance civil rights by making the restoration of voting rights permanent in Virginia’s constitution, reforming the criminal justice system, and working to improve police-community relations. Terry will also ensure that Black Virginians have access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage and a world-class education, and promote equitable land use and access to safe and welcoming green spaces.
Glenn Youngkin
N/A
Economy
Terry McAuliffe
Creating Good-Paying Jobs and a Thriving Economy for All Virginians
Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024, Provide Paid Sick, Family & Medical Leave, Make Childcare More Affordable, and Create Pathways to Good-Paying Jobs for All Virginians
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the pervasive inequities in our systems and disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities when it comes to education, minority-owned businesses, housing and health care. Terry’s plan will rebuild our economy again so that all Virginians can prosper.
As Governor, Terry will work to keep Virginians safely back at work and in schools, rebuild our thriving network of small businesses, and support our workforce with access to paid sick days, COVID-19 vaccines, affordable child care and hazard pay.
He will also make critical investments in building and training the workforce of the future and ensuring that people of all ages have the skills they need to be successful in the jobs of tomorrow.
Glenn Youngkin
Cut Costs For Virginians
The cost of living is rising for Virginians, and people are leaving the Commonwealth to look for jobs and start lives elsewhere. Glenn will tackle the rising cost of living and cut costs for Virginians by:
- Eliminating Virginia’s Grocery Tax & Suspending the Recent Gas Tax Hike for 12 Months
- Providing a One Time Tax Rebate of $600 for Joint Filers and $300 for Individuals
- Ending Runaway Property Taxes by Requiring Voter Approval for Increases
- Cutting Income Taxes by Doubling the Standard Deduction & Cutting Taxes on Veteran Retirement Pay
Reinvigorate Job Growth
Add 400,000 Jobs & 10,000 Startups
Virginia’s jobs machine is broken. After zero job growth from 2013 through 2020, Virginia currently ranks 44th in job recovery during the pandemic and was recently ranked as the 49th best state to start a business. Glenn will jumpstart our economy by:
- Keeping Virginia Open and Protecting Lives & Livelihoods
- Protecting Virginians from Forced Unionization & Cutting Job Killing Regulations by 25%
- Launching #JumpstartJobs to Develop Talent, Train Workers, Attract Investment, & Make Virginia the
- Easiest State to Start a Business
- Reinvigorating Small Business by Enacting a Small Business Tax Holiday & Ending the Tax on Rebuild VA and PPP Loans
Healthcare
Terry McAuliffe
Building a Healthier Virginia
Ensuring That Every Virginian Has Quality, Affordable Health Care
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will fight to make sure all Virginians have access to quality, affordable health care coverage and that no Virginian is forced to choose between medication or a meal. Terry will address racial, gender, and geographic disparities in access to coverage and outcomes by strengthening Medicaid, working with the federal government to implement a reinsurance program to lower health insurance premiums, protecting reproductive freedoms, and combating rising prescription drug prices by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable. As governor, Terry will also work to end unacceptable maternal mortality rates for Black women by expanding home visiting programs, improving access to quality care, ensuring access to lactation support, and mandating mental health screenings for pregnant and postpartum women.
Glenn Youngkin
N/A
Safety
Terry McAuliffe
Taking Action to Protect Virginians from Gun Violence
It’s time to Ban the Sale of Assault Weapons, Close Loopholes, and Treat Gun Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will send a clear message that gun violence has no place in the Commonwealth. He will ban the sale of assault weapons and get high-capacity magazines and ghost guns off of our streets. He will also close lethal loopholes that repeatedly allow firearms to get into the hands of dangerous individuals. By creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and creating a research Center of Excellence at a Virginia college or university, Terry will treat gun violence as the public health crisis it is and deploy evidence-based solutions to save lives.
Glenn Youngkin
Keep our Communities Safe
Failed leadership and dangerous policies have left Virginia less safe. With rising violent crime and the murder rate at a 20-year high, Glenn will keep our communities safe by:
- Fully Funding Law Enforcement & Protecting Qualified Immunity for our Law Enforcement Heroes
- Firing the Parole Board & Keeping Violent Criminals Off Our Streets
- Launching #UnityInTheCommunity Programs Operation Ceasefire & Project Exile
- Fixing Our Broken Mental Health System
Education
Terry McAuliffe
Ensuring that Every Child has Access to an Equitable, World-Class Education
$2 Billion Annual Investment to Raise Teacher Pay Above the National Average, Get Every Student Online, Expand Pre-K, and Eliminate Racial Disparities in Education.
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will ensure that every student has access to an equitable, world-class education. His plan will invest a record $2 billion annually in education, which will raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia history, give every 3 and 4-year-old in need access to pre-k, and get every student online. Terry will also address Virginia’s educator shortage and diversify our educator workforce through his Lucy Simms Educator Program. The Lucy Simms Program will cover education costs for students who commit to teaching for five years in one of Virginia’s public schools after graduation. Terry will also fight to make Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education.
Glenn Youngkin
Restore Excellence In Education
Virginia’s students have fallen behind because of extended school closings, lower school standards, and political agendas. Glenn will empower parents and restore excellence and commonsense in education by:
- Keeping Schools Open Safely Five Days a Week
- Restoring High Expectations & Getting Every Student College or Career Ready
- Ridding Political Agendas from the Classroom by Banning Critical Race Theory
- Rebuilding Crumbling Schools, Raising Teacher Pay, & Investing in Special Education Programs
- Creating at least 20 New Innovation Charter Schools across the K-12 Spectrum to Provide Choice
