Virginia Democrats emerged victorious in the state's recent election, securing full control of the legislature and dashing the hopes of Governor Glenn Youngkin to govern with Republican majorities and advance his conservative agenda.
Democrats not only retained their majority in the state Senate but also managed to flip the state House. The battle for control of the state legislature was a central issue in this year's election, with Republicans defending their narrow majority in the state House.
Reproductive rights emerged as a central and pivotal issue during the campaign, ultimately favoring Democrats. Youngkin had pledged that if Republicans secured full control of the Virginia legislature, he would support legislation to ban abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions for instances of rape, incest, and threats to the mother's life.
The election results were undeniable—and Fox & Friends personality Brian Kilmeade did not hold back his contempt, telling viewers that they constituted an "epic failure" on the part of Youngkin.
You can hear his remarks in the video below.
Kilmeade said:
"[Youngkin] wanted [a 15-week abortion ban]. He also said [he'd] flip the House [and] keep the Senate but he lost both. What an epic failure by Governor Youngkin. This is a huge loss for him, who everyone looked at [as a potential GOP candidate] ... 2028."
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt pointed out that the "anger" toward Youngkin was palpable among Democrats while co-host Steve Doocy noted that abortion was ultimately the decisive issue that gave Democrats control of the state government. He said voters showed they were clearly not "interested" in Youngkin's "moderate" approach to the issue.
The criticism from the Fox hosts—particularly Kilmeade—prompted many to mock Youngkin's loss themselves.
The election was also viewed as a referendum on Youngkin's brand of conservative politics, one that has tried to distinguish itself from the MAGA brand commonly associated with former President Donald Trump. Youngkin may now lose the opportunity to position himself as a GOP leader with some distance from the movement, which also hurt the GOP during the 2022 midterms.
Youngkin's positions on abortion rights and bodily autonomy ultimately cost him and he did not generate any goodwill given how open he was about stymying Democrats' efforts to preserve them, such as when he blocked a Democratic measure to keep law enforcement from accessing menstrual data in search warrants.
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