On Tuesday, November 2, the Governor election for Virginia took place. Terry McAuliffe (Democrat) and Glenn Youngkin (Republican) battled it out, resulting in Youngkin taking the position.

“I think McAuliffe should have been elected because he did a good job,” said Jisoo Lee (11). Although leading Virginia in 2014 t0 2018, the people of Virginia thought Youngkin deserved the spot. Before becoming involved in politics, Youngkin spent 25 years at the private-equity firm the Carlyle Group, later becoming its co–CEO. Youngkin stepped down from the Carlyle Group in September 2020 and announced his candidacy for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election in January 2021.

McAuliffe was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2009 Virginia gubernatorial election. In the 2013 election, he ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and defeated Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the general election. He ran for a non-consecutive second term as governor in the 2021 governor election but lost to Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin.

“I wanted the Republican party to win, because it seems like there are more pros than cons,” states Sadie Henderson (12). Many were torn between these candidates and some didn’t even vote. Let’s hope Youngkin can do a great job running Virginia.