All Eyes on VA Governor's Race & Why It Matters

It’s a big day for politics. There is a neck-and-neck race for the Governor of Virginia happening today. The reason this race has gained national attention is because Virginia has remained a soft blue state, and yet a Republican candidate is polling dead even. The two candidates are Democratic former Governor Terry McAuliffe and Republican former CEO and businessman Glenn Youngkin.

ACLJ Director of Policy Thann Bennett explained the ins and outs of this race:

This is a race that, if all things were even, you would think Terry McAuliffe would win it running away. It’s the state that Joe Biden carried by 10 points. . . . You’re right though, as we come down the stretch, it actually looks like Glenn Youngkin is pulling ahead. . . . I think a lot of it has to do with issues that we see replicated all around the country – parents who want to know what is being taught inside their schools. And look, Terry McAuliffe is saying maybe he doesn’t want them as present as they want to be. I would say this – watch those counties right around Washington,  D.C. . . . . Terry is going to win those counties. . . . But if Youngkin can even cut into the margin just a little bit in those counties, then I think he can carry the election.

This election has centered around school choice and parents’ involvement in their children’s education. The two candidates have opposite opinions on this issue. In the final debate for Virginia Governor, candidate and former Governor Terry McAuliffe gave his opinion on parent involvement in our school system:

I am not going to let parents come into schools and take books out and make their own decision. . . . I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

Well, that’s not how our government works or how most people feel. The school board is elected by the parents. And where does the school get their money from? The parents. So, they absolutely have a say in their children’s education.

Glenn Youngkin countered Gov. McAuliffe’s statement:

Parents will have choice in our public school system. We will not have a political philosophy in the classroom. And on Day One, I will ban critical race theory from being in our schools.

This is likely going to be very close. And this issue will be at the forefront. We may know the election results tonight or it could take longer.

In other news, a horrific report from CNN reveals that citizens in Afghanistan have let it be known that the Taliban is mandating that young girls be sold to them so that Afghans can get food to eat. ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell gave his thoughts on this new report:

It is horrific and it is a return to what they used to do. . . . Now that the Taliban is in charge, we need to be clear-eyed that this is not an international group that needs to be recognized. We see already that the Europeans are making moves to tell the Biden Administration to recognize the Taliban and treat them like a legitimate government. Now, they’ve taken over the government, but they are not a legitimate government. We should never recognize them no matter what the pressure is like from the Europeans, the Russians, or the Chinese.

This is the thing the Biden Administration always tries to do which is build consensus. They want to have all of the international partners agree so what they tend to do is give in to the rest of the group, and it becomes the lowest common denominator of what the entire global group agrees. And we should stand strong and put America first and reject this idea that recognizing the Taliban will somehow help us. Look at what they are doing to little girls. There are families who are selling their children in order to eat. Where is the United Nations? Billions of dollars have been spent to help this country and yet under the Biden Administration, we are dialing it back and going back to slavery of little girls and the sale of human lives in order to eat.

Ric added how the ACLJ is on top of all of this news:

I am struck with how the ACLJ here is giving us the latest from Virginia, giving you news to use. . . . We just talked about issues where the ACLJ around the world is one of the very few voices to stand up. I just have to take this time for a second and encourage people to sign on and give and support us. Because one of the reasons I joined the ACLJ is they are one of the very few sane conservative voices on the world stage. Right now, with Joe Biden over in Glasgow at the G-20 in Rome, when we see him on the world stage, nothing reminds me more of having a strong ACLJ around the world. And we need your support. Obviously, you’re going to get the news in Virginia and some other topics, but these are suits that are unique to the ACLJ and I hope that people will support us.

We will continue to be that voice for our ACLJ members and provide you with up-to-date news, whether it's local, national, or international – we are covering it.

Today’s full Sekulow broadcast is complete with even more analysis of the Virginia Governor’s race.

Watch the full broadcast below.