The latest executive move from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin could have the 2024 presidential race in mind.
This week, Youngkin rejected Ford Motor Co.'s proposed $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery factory over its partnership with a Chinese battery maker.
The governor's rationale in declining the project, which would have reportedly brought 2,500 high-tech manufacturing jobs to Virginia: He didn't want taxpayer money to be used to "recruit Ford as a front for China."
Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Va., characterized Youngkin's rejection of the Ford EV battery plant as "gubernatorial malpractice."
"Shutting down negotiations on this project made absolutely no sense to me or most of my colleagues," Surovell reportedly said. "This is an economically distressed part of our state that is hungry for jobs; 2,500 jobs would be manna from heaven."
Youngkin reportedly has a history of doing business with China.
Prior to launching his political career in 2020, Youngkin rose to prominence with the Carlyle Group — a private equity firm with reported billions of dollars worth of holdings in China — serving as the company's chief executive officer.
"The Governor's record was largely spared from [Mitt] Romney-style attacks on private equity in 2021," said Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist and lobbyist. "But foes will seek to exploit it as he seeks the national stage, and he is smart to define his career preemptively and on his own terms."
From Donovan's perspective, Youngkin's rigid stance against China — even at the expense of high-paying jobs not coming to his state — likely signals a run for the White House next year.
"There's a logic to the politics of Youngkin's decision," said Donovan. "It tracks with the prevailing tough-on-China sentiment within the party, showcasing a pugilistic side the base craves but that's otherwise absent from his persona, and seeks to turn a potential vulnerability — Youngkin's business dealings — into an experience that informs his stance."
Virginia governors are not permitted to seek the gubernatorial office in consecutive terms. As such, Youngkin might be looking for a new political challenge in 2024.
Surovell was also irked about Youngkin's PR team leaking the Ford-plant rejection story to The Daily Caller.
"The only explanation that I can see for leaking this to the Daily Caller and saying: 'We don't want this project because of Chinese connections' is that the governor is in some kind of a China-bashing contest with [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis and [Texas Gov.] Greg Abbott," said Surovell.
As a consequence of Virginia nixing the Ford EV battery plant proposal, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has reportedly expressed interest in her state being awarded the billion-dollar project.
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