Youngkin hustles to push swing state Virginia to the right

By WILL WEISSERT and SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has used his first two weeks in office to push Virginia firmly to the right. He’s attempting a dramatic political shift deep in once reliably Democratic territory and potentially blazing a trail other conservatives could follow in similarly blue-leaning states. Virginia’s whiplash has been acute. Republicans hadn’t won statewide office since 2009 before Youngkin’s upset victory, which was only by 2 percentage points. Democrats argue Virginians don’t want Youngkin hustling to impose a broad conservative agenda on a state that is far from deeply red. They say that’s especially the case given that its population growth has been driven by heavily Democratic suburbs around Washington.