Republican Glenn Youngkin won the race for Virginia governor, defeating Terry McAuliffe in a race that’s been watched around the nation as a bellwether for the 2022 midterm elections. The win is a major political turnabout in a state that had been trending increasingly blue. Republicans had not won a statewide race since 2009 when Bob McDonnell was elected governor. The GOP swept all three statewide races this election.
The Virginia GOP also made history by electing the first Black woman to the position of Lt. Governor. Attorney General Elect Jason Miyares is the first Cuban-American to be elected to his position.