Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) and his state's Republicans failed to win back the senate and even lost the House of Delegates but it wasn’t for lack of Fox News trying.
On Fox & Friends this morning, Steve Doocy hosted the blatant campaign effort for Youngkin. He had hoped to flip the state senate and maintain control of the House of Delegates, thus allowing him “to create Republican majorities that would steer the legislature to the right and boost his chances of becoming a national GOP star,” as The Washington Post noted.
It just so happens that Rupert Murdoch reportedly has said he would like to see Youngkin run for president next year.
Before a cheering crowd at a diner, Doocy gushed to Youngkin, “They love you!”
Doocy even dressed in a vest and rolled-up shirtsleeves, a la Youngkin:
“We’re going to hold our House, and flip our Senate!” Youngkin exclaimed. “We’ve delivered results, 230,000 more Virginians working. We’ve stood up for parents and put them back in charge of their kids’ lives. We’ve reestablished excellence in education, we’ve backed the blue in Virginia, we have law enforcement officers moving from the NYPD to Virginia.”
Doocy smiled and the crowd cheered some more. “They’re big fans of yours now,” he told the governor.
“Common sense conservative governance wins, it delivers, and people like it,” Youngkin said. He said the big issues were “inflation and jobs and concerns about what Biden is doing to our economy.”
Youngkin also hyped his plan to ban abortion at 15 weeks. “I will back a bill that protects life at 15 weeks,” he said. “That’s when a baby feels pain.” He promised “full exceptions in the case of rape and incest when a mother’s life is at risk.”
“This is a choice between no limits and reasonable limits,” Youngkin claimed.
Predictably, Youngkin also attacked Democrats. He said they “sell fear” because “that’s all they have. They have no plan to create jobs, no plan for excellence in education, no plan for families and parents, no plan for making communities safer, no plans for transforming behavioral health.”
Doocy slobbered some more. “In watching you work the room, it seems that you like politics.”
“I like people,” Youngkin said. He and Doocy fist bumped and shook hands.
Back in the studio, cohosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt were just as pumped. “Smoooooth, smoooooth, man.” Jones said.
Of course, Doocy did not ask about the NAACP lawsuit over Youngkin’s denial of felons’ voting rights.
Unfortunately for Youngkin, Fox News and Rupert Murdoch, not only did their Republicans not re-take the senate, they lost the House of Delegates, too. Democrats now have full control of the statehouse.
You can watch Doocy do his best to help Youngkin below, from the November 7, 2023 Fox & Friends.