Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been getting closer to Donald Trump in recent months, with the two even appearing together on stage, leading to questions about whether Youngkin would possibly leave the state and join the incoming Trump administration.
Youngkin still has one year left in his term as governor.
“It would seem that Youngkin would certainly be a candidate for a cabinet position in a Trump administration,” said Bob Holsworth, a Virginia political analyst.
However, the idea of taking such a job would be politically tricky for Youngkin, as he is widely seen as a presidential candidate in 2028.
“The fact is that people who have entered the Trump cabinet haven’t always exited on a positive note,” said Holsworth. “He’d have to take into account whether or not that would be more beneficial than actually leaving the governorship and beginning to build the kind of base that can enable you to run for president.”
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Holsworth said he wouldn’t be surprised if Youngkin chose to stay in Virginia rather than heading to Washington.
“The other point is that it’s very difficult to become prominent while you’re a member of the Trump cabinet, because Donald Trump largely takes all the oxygen,” said Holsworth. “It’s going to be very difficult for somebody who is a member of his cabinet to gain national stature.”
WTOP reached out to Youngkin’s office for comment on the matter, but did not receive a response.
In the final days leading up to Tuesday’s presidential election, Youngkin appeared at a rally with Trump in Salem, Virginia.
Back in June, the two stood on stage together for the first time.
Prior to that, Youngkin was not publicly enthusiastic about fully backing Trump.
In 2021, Trump called on Youngkin to “embrace the MAGA movement,” suggesting that Youngkin was damaging himself politically by keeping his distance when asked Trump-related questions. Then, in 2022, Trump suggested that Youngkin was not adequately grateful, saying that Youngkin “couldn’t have won without me” in Virginia.
When Trump held a rally in Richmond early this year, Youngkin skipped it, citing a previously scheduled family commitment.
Both Trump and Youngkin repeatedly claimed that Virginia was “in play” for this year’s presidential race, although Trump ended up losing to Kamala Harris by about five percentage points.
Biden defeated Trump in Virginia in 2020 by 10 points.