Youngkin ‘doesn’t expect’ to make endorsement in presidential primary

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said Tuesday he is not likely to make an endorsement in the 2024 presidential primary, for now staying out of the contentious race.

“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.

Youngkin is a well-regarded Republican who has hinted at potential White House ambitions in his future. While he has considered a 2024 race, he has signaled that an announcement is possible but unlikely.

Virginia faces crucial statehouse elections this November, pitting Youngkin’s popularity up against a GOP platform ever-more focused on LGBTQ issues and abortion, which drove Virginians towards Democrats in 2022.

The governor also brushed off questions about presidential candidates’ age, as Republicans have blasted President Biden over running for reelection at 80 years old. His main rival, former President Trump, is 77 years old. 

Both would be the oldest president in the country’s history at the end of a second term.

“I think the key thing is that they can do the job,” Youngkin said. “These are demanding jobs. I’m governor of Virginia and I go from very early to very late every single day.”

But that didn’t stop Youngkin from going after the president.

“I’m 56, and I really struggle to understand how Joe Biden does what he does because I think he is challenged by it and he demonstrates it every day,” he said. “I think when you have a president who really is struggling to keep up with the schedule, it shows.”

The White House and Biden’s campaign have denied that the president is taking it easy compared to other commanders-in-chief due to his age, and maintains that the president has a full and rigorous schedule. That, however, has not stopped concerns among both Republicans and Democrats about his readiness for another term in office.

Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe Biden is “too old to run” for reelection, according to a poll released this month. Another poll found that more than half of Democrats are concerned about the president’s age.