Glenn Youngkin’s single term was easily one of the most successful of any governor in recent memory.
Glenn Youngkin's single term was easily one of the most successful of any governor in recent memory.
V irginia Governor Glenn Youngkin retired last Saturday, constrained by term limits to just four years in office. But his single term was easily one of the most successful of any governor in recent memory.
What is perhaps most remarkable is that Democrats controlled at least one house of the legislature during his entire tenure, blocking his boldest proposals. But in response, Youngkin thwarted many of the legislature’s big government moves. He issued over 400 vetoes, including to legislation that would have set a $15 minimum wage.
Despite the frequent stalemate between the governor and the legislature, quite a bit was accomplished. The first day he took office in 2022, Youngkin declared that Virginia was “Open for Business” and would seek out firms that would invest, expand, and hire in the Commonwealth.
Today, the state’s unemployment rate is 3.5 percent, compared to 4.4 percent nationally. While governors don’t create jobs, they can create a climate where businesses and employers can flourish. Youngkin’s policies brought in more than $157 billion in business investment — a larger number than the previous six administrations combined. The number of employed people increased by nearly 270,000, with many new jobs in the manufacturing, science, and technology sectors.
A real accelerant for the job growth was Youngkin’s war on unnecessary regulation. Regulations were streamlined by 35 percent, delivering $1.4 billion in annual savings and reducing the cost of building a home by an average of $24,000.
All this helps explain Virginia’s No. 1 ranking on CNBC’s list of “Top States for Business” in 2024. It dipped slightly to fourth place last year, but even Democratic state Senate Leader Louise Lucas could only complain that the drop was because the state’s federal workers were “crushed by Trump’s policies and reckless federal cuts.” She sounded as if she believed the only jobs that really mattered were those in the public sector.
On taxes, Youngkin cut them by $9 billion, including the state’s hated grocery tax. But the state didn’t fall into deficit as a result. The economic growth the tax cuts spurred allowed Youngkin to leave incoming Governor Abigail Spanberger (D.) with a healthy $2 billion surplus.
On education, he ended Covid-era mandates, decreased chronic absenteeism, and ended Critical Race Theory in schools. Four out of five graduates now leave high school with a credential or certification of some kind. While the legislature blocked his efforts to expand school choice, Youngkin created lab schools with local universities that created more opportunities to align students’ academic work with workforce needs.
On energy, Youngkin argued that the state’s policies were designed for a stagnant economy, not a growing one. Once in office, he adopted an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which promoted new natural gas and nuclear generation. Later, he dropped out of the regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and ended the Virginia Clean Economy Act.
He also made the state’s data center industry the envy of other states. Data centers in Virginia today generate billions in private investment, employ thousands in high-paying jobs, and have dramatically increased revenue for local governments.
On crime, Youngkin presided over a 59 percent reduction in fatal fentanyl overdoses and a 30 percent drop in murders.
Youngkin is especially proud of how well Virginia fared in a “Vote With Your Feet” report on which states are attracting new residents. He told me last summer that “for the first time in ten years, more people moved to Virginia than moved away to the other 49 states. Common sense works.”
Anyone who believes in smaller and smarter government should hope for more common sense from Youngkin in his next foray into public life.