(NewsNation) — Could Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin be the next politician to swoop into the 2024 presidential race? Speculation that he might join the race began to grow after the governor’s previous hints of a future presidential run.
Youngkin is a well-regarded Republican who has hinted at potential White House ambitions in his future. While considering a 2024 race, he has signaled that an announcement is possible but unlikely.
What had added to the speculation of a potential run was his refusal to endorse any of the current presidential candidates.
“I don’t expect to endorse anyone. I think voters should choose this, and I’m sure it will be a well-participated primary,” Youngkin said at the Economic Club of Washington.
Virginia faces crucial statehouse elections this November, pitting Youngkin’s popularity up against a GOP platform more focused on LGBTQ issues and abortion, which drove Virginians towards Democrats in 2022.
Youngkin told Fox News he was “totally focused” on the upcoming elections in November, especially since President Joe Biden’s visit to Virginia two weeks ago where he tried to persuade voters to vote Democratic.
“He [Biden] said one of his top priorities was the legislative elections in Virginia. He put a million and a half dollars in against our candidates,” Youngkin told Fox News. “We gotta battle against this and I’m hoping that our retreat in October will provide good resources for us to combat the flood of resources coming into Virginia to try and hold the state which the liberal left knows they are losing.”
The retreat Youngkin references is his “Red Vest Retreat,” named after the red vest the governor wore during his 2021 campaign, The Washington Post reported. The event will take place in mid-October for donors to gather in an effort to win full control of Virginia’s General Assembly, the report said.
However, many reports said donors will likely use the event to push and encourage Youngkin to join the GOP primary race as a Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump.
Youngkin has maintained that for now, he’s staying out of the race.
If he were to run for president, Yougkin would have to enter his name into the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary before Oct. 27. If he misses that deadline, the governor would have to run as a write-in-candidate in New Hampshire, Fox News reported.
The Hill contributed to this report.