Richmond, VA – This past week marked Governor Youngkin’s first 6 months in office. After inheriting the strongest economy in Virginia’s history, Gov. Youngkin’s first 6 months were filled with far-right culture wars and outright incompetence. From ditching his duties to run for President, to losing Virginia’s coveted “Best State for Business” status after three straight years at the top, one thing is abundantly clear: Governor Youngkin is an extreme culture warrior and has failed to govern Virginia. 

Governor Youngkin is no moderate. These past 6 months have shown that Governor Youngkin is a far-right culture warrior who is out of touch with Virginians:

• After the Dobbs decision, Youngkin declared that he would “gleefully” sign any abortion bill that came to his desk, including the complete abolition of abortion in Virginia. 
• Youngkin unsuccessfully attempted to remove funding for procedures to support low-income women when a fetus has incapacitating deformities or mental deficiencies and when the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother.
• During his campaign for governor, Youngkin stated his opposition to same-sex marriage.
• Youngkin would not support a constitutional amendment to remove a ban against same-sex marriage from the Virginia Constitution at a time when same-sex marriage is under attack. 
• Youngkin waged a war on the word “equity” in Virginia,  calling it a “divisive” term for the teaching of school children.
• Youngkin’s second executive order on his first day as Governor was to ban “divisive concepts”, such as the full context of the black experience of Virginians and Americans. 

Rather than run a competent administration, Governor Youngkin is spending his time traveling around the country running for President. In his first 6 months, Governor Youngkin has shown Virginians the meaning of incompetence:

• Youngkin lost Virginia’s coveted “Best State for Business” status after three straight years of Virginia being ranked at the top. 
• Youngkin’s intransigence and lack of leadership caused a months-long delay in Virginia’s budget process, producing a budget months late and nearly causing a government shutdown.
• Youngkin’s bizarre policy banning telework has led to a mass exodus of hundreds of state employees - crippling state services. 
• Youngkin became the first governor in over a decade to have a cabinet appointee rejected when the State Senate refused to confirm former Trump EPA Administrator and coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as Secretary of Natural Resources. 
• Youngkin’s official campaign Twitter account attacked a high school student online, causing a media firestorm after the student was ridiculed and harassed by his own supporters. Youngkin never apologized to the student. 

“If Governor Youngkin’s first 6 months in office is a glimpse of what the next four years are like, Virginians are in trouble,” said DPVA Spokesperson Gianni Snidle. “6 months on the job and what are Virginians seeing? They’re seeing a Governor who has instilled chaos, sown divisions, and flat-ditched Virginia for higher political aspirations. If Virginians had any doubt before, they know now that Governor Youngkin isn’t some mild-mannered fleece vest-wearing moderate, he is an incompetent far-right culture warrior that puts our Commonwealth at risk.”

###