It’ll be Republicans, not Democrats, who are flooding the incoming gubernatorial administration with résumés in coming weeks.
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin will have staff positions to fill, from the top of the ladder down through administrative-support posts in his office and selected agencies and bodies.
“Wouldn’t it be great if a few highly-qualified Arlington Republicans went to Richmond to help Gov. Youngkin implement his conservative agenda for Virginia’s future?” mused Matthew Hurtt, communications director for the Arlington County Republican Committee, in an e-mail to the Arlington rank-and-file.
“It’s important Glenn Youngkin takes a coalition of competent, qualified and principled appointees and employees with him to fully implement his conservative agenda,” Hurtt said.
(For those interested, the Website is https://www.youngkintransition.com/apply.)
Incoming Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares also will have some positions to fill, although a much smaller number that Youngkin will have.
While Arlington Republicans were shut out at the local level, victory-wise, they do have some positive news based on the county’s returns.
“The electorate swung 5.5 percent in our direction over 2020,” Hurtt said, which – to acknowledge reality – may have been the rock-bottom of political fortunes for Republicans in the county, as only about 15 percent of voters supported Donald Trump that year.
Youngkin brought that figure up to about 22 percent of the vote against Terry McAuliffe. That may be an improvement, but paints “a pretty clear picture” of the political leanings of the Arlington electorate, said Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Jill Caiazzo.