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6 Youngkin Successes as Earle-Sears Runs to Further His Legacy

    Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is running for governor to build on the policies she helped Gov. Glenn Youngkin craft and implement over the past four years, and the Youngkin administration drew attention to six key success areas, in particular.

    When asked if she was running to continue the administration’s legacy, Earle-Sears said, “Well, of course, and they’re working.”

    She drew a contrast between herself and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

    “I don’t need on the job training because I have been here doing the work for these past four years,” Earle-Sears told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. “I am ready to take command on Day One. She will need on-the-job training.”

    Youngkin’s office emphasized many successes and credited Earle-Sears as instrumental in its efforts.

    “Simply put, Virginia has never been in a stronger position than she is today,” Peter Finocchio, the governor’s spokesman, told The Daily Signal. Earle-Sears, “as one of the governor’s closest advisors, has been a key partner every step of the way.”

    The Spanberger campaign attacked the Youngkin-Sears record in a statement Thursday.

    “Virginians deserve leaders who have real plans to deliver results for the Commonwealth, and Abigail has a record of doing just that,” a campaign spokesperson told The Daily Signal. “Following Virginia losing its ‘Top State for Business’ ranking under the watch of Winsome Earle-Sears, Abigail believes Virginia’s governor should be focused on growing business investment and creating good-paying jobs, which is why she has rolled out her Growing Virginia Plan to boost Virginia’s workforce and economy.”

    While Virginia slipped from first place in CNBC’s state rankings for business last month, it remains high—at fourth in the nation.

    Economic Growth

    Finocchio emphasized the lieutenant governor’s impact on Youngkin’s economic policies, in particular.

    “Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears, as a small business owner, has worked hand-in-glove with the governor to bring the common sense fiscal leadership to Richmond that has fostered over $125 billion in business investment, spurred the creation of over 270,000 new jobs and over 250,00 open jobs currently, and ushered in surplus after surplus each fiscal year,” he noted.

    While CNBC estimates a hit to Virginia’s employment as President Donald Trump trims the size and scope of the federal government, Youngkin’s office cited federal data showing that the Old Dominion’s economy added 276,100 jobs since January 2022, when Youngkin became governor.

    In July, Youngkin announced that he had slashed regulations by 25%, achieving his administration’s goal six months early. His administration streamlined or repealed nearly 89,000 requirements and eliminated 11.5 million words from official documents. He set a new goal to cut 35% of the state’s regulations by January 2026.

    The Office of Regulatory Management estimated these cuts save taxpayers $1.2 billion per year.

    Tax Relief

    Finocchio said this economic growth “has enabled the Youngkin-Sears administration to deliver more than $9 billion in tax relief for Virginia families, eliminating the state-level grocery tax, doubling the standard deduction for all Virginians, removing state taxes on military retirement pay up to $40,000, and eliminating the regressive carbon tax on utility bills.”

    Youngkin removed the carbon tax on utility bills by withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the contested claim that burning fossil fuels will harm the global climate. He signed the biennial budget bill on May 2, adding $1 billion in tax relief to reach the $9 billion figure for the full administration. The roughly $2 billion surplus in fiscal year 2025 enabled this relief, according to his office.

    Tackling Crime

    Finocchio also touted the administration’s Operation Bold Blue Line, which aimed to increase law enforcement pay, launch a recruiting effort, provide increased training and equipment, and provide more resources to victims.

    Youngkin’s office celebrated “a 30% drop in homicides, a 44% decline in year-to-year overdoses, along with one of the highest rates of overall drug-overdose death reduction in the nation, and more than 3,500 arrests made in partnership with federal law enforcement through the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force.”

    Education

    Youngkin won the 2021 gubernatorial election in no small part due to his focus on parental rights in education, and the administration has claimed multiple victories in this key area.

    Finocchio mentioned the growth in lab schools, K-12 schools that partner with higher education institutions to pioneer new forms of education. The state Education Department has approved 15 lab schools.

    Youngkin also signed Senate Bill 879, which created an alternative licensing route for career and technical education teachers.

    Youngkin and Earle-Sears took action on “the screen-fueled youth health crisis by passing laws capping social media use by children under 16 to an hour a day and implementing bell-to-bell cell phone-free education,” Finocchio noted. The law requires social media companies to identify minor users under 16 and restrict their use to one hour per day, unless a parent consents to increase the limit.

    Maternal Mortality

    The governor’s office touted other successes regarding family life.

    According to the Virginia Department of Health, maternal deaths hit a tragic high in 2021, with 49.2 deaths for every 100,000 live births. The rate dropped to 47.1 per 100,000 live births in 2022, and then dropped by more than half in 2023 (to 18.4) and remained less than half the 2021 number in 2024 (at 24.5).

    The administration credited its Healthy Moms, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities initiative. This initiative provided $2.5 million to fund pilot programs featuring health hubs, extended postpartum coverage for mothers on Medicaid, and signed bills to increase access to doulas. In June, the governor signed bills raising standards for maternal care.

    The administration also touted its “Right Help, Right Now” program to invigorate Virginia’s behavioral health system and combat depression.

    Unleashing American Energy

    Finocchio also celebrated strides toward nuclear power, particularly in helping make Virginia “the home of the world’s first grid-scale nuclear fusion reactor.”

    Youngkin announced last month that the Virginia Department of Energy received a $197,500 grant to prepare an area in Wise County for a small modular reactor, a kind of advanced nuclear power plant.

    Last year, Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced it would build the first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant in Virginia. Youngkin’s administration directed a $1 million grant to the project.

    Proponents defend nuclear as a reliable, cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. Youngkin’s office supports it as an all-of-the-above approach to energy sources.



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