Virginia in Play for Presidential Election Rematch, Says Governor Youngkin

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed confidence that his state could be competitive in the 2024 rematch between President Biden and former President Trump.

Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia has declared that his state is "in play" for the 2024 presidential election, potentially opening up a new front in the rematch between President Biden and former President Trump.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Youngkin pointed to recent polls showing a competitive race between Biden and Trump in Virginia. A Fox News poll conducted in early June showed the two candidates deadlocked in a head-to-head matchup, with each receiving 48% support.

"Let's just begin by remembering where we were in 2020 when Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points, and the fact that we're having this discussion is a huge turn of events," Youngkin said.

The poll suggests that Virginia, which has consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates in recent elections, could be in play for Republicans in 2024. Trump lost Virginia by 10 points in 2020, but he has remained popular among rural White voters without college degrees, a demographic that is well-represented in Virginia.

Youngkin's optimism is shared by some within the Trump campaign. Senior Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, along with pollster Tony Fabrizio, have reportedly presented internal surveys to the Republican National Committee suggesting that both "Minnesota & Virginia are clearly in play."

The Trump campaign believes that by flipping key electoral votes in these states, the former president could improve his chances of victory in the 2024 election.

However, the Biden campaign has dismissed the notion that Minnesota or Virginia are up for grabs. Biden campaign battleground states director Dan Kanninen has argued that internal polls do not accurately predict the outcome of elections that are still months away.

"We feel strongly the Biden-Harris coalition in both Minnesota and Virginia, which has been strong in the midterms and off-year elections, will continue to be strong for us in the fall of 2024," Kanninen said.

The Biden campaign's confidence is based in part on the president's current fundraising dominance and ground-game advantage in key battlegrounds. The campaign has teams on the ground in both Virginia and Minnesota, engaging with voters and building support.

Despite the confidence expressed by both campaigns, the 2024 presidential election is still a long way off, and much can change between now and November 2024. However, the fact that both parties are discussing the possibility of Minnesota and Virginia being in play suggests that these states could be key battlegrounds in the upcoming presidential election.