America Votes

In the middle of Republican Glenn Youngkin's victory speech last night, a sleepy Joe Biden landed at Joint Base Andrews. Perhaps he should have considered going back up the stairs of Air Force One and flying back to socialist Europe. On a number of fronts yesterday, the American people rejected socialism, Marxism and wokeism.

Here are ten key takeaways from yesterday's elections.

1. Republican Glenn Youngkin has been declared the winner of the Virginia gubernatorial race by roughly 77,000 votes. Democrat Terry McAuliffe officially conceded this morning. Youngkin's victory points to a formula for more conservative victories ahead. Trump's base turned out strongly all over exurbia and throughout the heartland of Virginia. Youngkin kept his losses down in big Blue areas like Fairfax County and Richmond. That is the GOP's challenge if it is going to win back states like Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin in future presidential elections.

2. The national Republican Party has got to get over its reluctance to fight on cultural issues. The reason Youngkin massively closed the gap in northern Virginia is because he fought against Marxist critical race theory and the radical transgender agenda in the schools. He didn't run from those issues. He hung them around Terry McAuliffe's neck, and it drew parents of all races to Youngkin's side.

3.  Many left-wing pundits and even some on Fox News are trying to create a false narrative that Youngkin outperformed Donald Trump in Virginia. That's fake news. To make their point, they're giving percentages and not actual vote totals. 

Here are the facts: Donald Trump got 285,000 more votes in Virginia than Glenn Youngkin. Of course, Terry McAuliffe got fewer votes than Joe Biden, which is the reason Youngkin won. All you can say is that an off-year, non-presidential election simply has a different electorate. But without Trump's base, there's no doubt Glenn Youngkin would have lost.

4.  While Terry McAuliffe was obviously the night's biggest loser, he wasn't the only loser. Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams all came to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe, and it did not affect the outcome. They're all losers this morning. 

5. While one has to avoid the danger of overgeneralizing, this much is clear: Republicans did 10 points better in Virginia and 15 points better in New Jersey, where the GOP candidate for governor ran a surprisingly strong race. If there is anything close to that kind of shift across the country next November, Democrats will lose control of the House and the Senate. As Kamala Harris put it just a few days ago, "What happens in Virginia will . . . determine what happens in 2022, 2024 and on." It may not be long before many progressives start chanting, "Let's Go Brandon!"

6. Election security matters. I believe there were significant irregularities yesterday. But an army of conservative activists, who volunteered to be poll watchers, shocked the left this year. (My wife, Carol, was among them!) Even during early voting, conservatives had a significant presence at polling locations, which infuriated the left. Election integrity is essential!

7. Winning elections produces new stars. Everyone is naturally focused on whether Glenn Youngkin has a bigger political future ahead. I think the jury is out on that. But I believe there is tremendous future potential for Winsome Sears, the GOP candidate for Lieutenant Governor. 

Sears is a Jamaican immigrant, a former Marine and staunchly conservative. She's the first black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia. Of course, this historic fact is largely ignored in much of the mainstream media. And because Sears represents such a threat to the left's national narrative on race, I would not be surprised if the left's focus now shifts to somehow overturning her victory.

8. Over the years, many victims and refugees from communism have emigrated to America. They are emerging as a bulwark against America's Bolshevik wannabes. There are many immigrants who fled communist China and radical regimes in the Middle East here in Virginia. They know what Marxism and totalitarianism is and how it's camouflaged to fool unsuspecting citizens. They became the faces of the parent revolt against critical race theory in our schools. They are a national treasure, and conservatives should set up an emergency program now to use their experience to save America.

9. It wasn't just Virginia and New Jersey where the left got spanked by the voters. In Buffalo, New York, a socialist endorsed by Bernie Sanders and AOC shocked the city by winning the Democrat primary for mayor this summer. The incumbent mayor ran as a write-in candidate in the general election, and now appears to have a substantial lead over his socialist opponent. Republicans also scored major victories on Long Island. 

In Minneapolis, voters crushed a left-wing bid by Keith Ellison, Ilhan Omar and other radicals to abolish the city's police department. A pro-police candidate destroyed the "police abolitionist" candidate in the race for Seattle city attorney. Anti-critical race theory candidates scored major wins in school board races all across the country.

10. These election results will impact Joe Biden's legislative agenda, most notably the major infrastructure bills that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are trying to ram through Congress right now. I'm not jumping to any conclusions as to how it will affect them. So-called "moderates" may be less likely to surrender anything to the progressives. But many progressives are insisting that they lost last night because their candidates weren't radical enough. So, it could result in an even further rush to the left.

Finally, since left-wing politics has invaded every aspect of our lives, add to the list of last night's winners the Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series. (Sorry, Houston.) The Braves were punished by Major League Baseball because Georgia dared to make sure that only eligible voters cast ballots in our elections. That's why Donald Trump went to Atlanta for one of the World Series games and was greeted like a hero. 

Thank You!

Wherever you live, you were part of this victory! 

American Values produced a special report on Combating Critical Race Theory. We joined others in training pastors to legally harvest ballots in their churches so that Christians could more easily perform their civic duty. 

Just a few weeks ago, thousands of people gathered at Cornerstone Chapel in Loudoun County, ground zero in the grassroots revolt against the left. They were there for FRC's Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to hear me and others make the case that American freedom was in jeopardy unless they and other Christians got engaged in the culture war. 

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