Glenn Youngkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Glenn Youngkin
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Official portrait, 2022
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| 74th Governor of Virginia | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2022 |
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| Lieutenant | Winsome Earle-Sears |
| Preceded by | Ralph Northam |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Glenn Allen Youngkin
December 9, 1966 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Suzanne Schulze
(m. 1994) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Executive Mansion |
| Education | Rice University (BA, BS) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Signature |  |
Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American businessman and politician. He is currently the 74th governor of Virginia. He started this job in 2022.
Before becoming governor, Youngkin worked for 25 years at a company called The Carlyle Group. This company helps invest in and manage other businesses. He became a top leader there, serving as co-CEO in 2018. He left this role in 2020 to run for governor.
Youngkin was born in Richmond, Virginia. He won the Republican Party's nomination for governor in 2021. He then beat the former Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, in the main election. This made him the first Republican governor of Virginia since 2009.
As governor, Youngkin has supported getting COVID-19 vaccines. However, he was against making them required. He also tried to ban mask mandates in Virginia public schools. This ban was later changed after some legal challenges. In his first year, he signed a state budget that increased money for schools. It also included big tax cuts.
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Early Life and School
Glenn Allen Youngkin was born in Richmond, Virginia, on December 9, 1966. His parents were Ellis and Carroll Wayne Youngkin. His father played basketball for Duke University. He later worked in accounting. His mother was a highly educated nurse. She taught nursing at a university.
When Glenn was a teenager, his family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. He went to a private school called Norfolk Academy. He graduated in 1985. He was a very good basketball player in high school.
Youngkin went to Rice University in Houston, Texas. He had a basketball scholarship there. He played for the Rice Owls team for four seasons. In 1990, he earned two degrees. One was in business, and the other was in mechanical engineering.
He later went to Harvard Business School. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1994.
Career Before Politics
Starting Out
After college in 1990, Youngkin worked at an investment bank called First Boston. He helped companies with big business deals. He also helped them raise money. He left this job in 1992 to get his MBA.
In 1994, after getting his MBA, he joined a company called McKinsey & Company. This company helps other businesses improve how they work.
Working at The Carlyle Group
In 1995, Youngkin joined The Carlyle Group. This is a company that invests in other businesses. He started by working with the team that bought companies in the U.S. In 1999, he became a partner and managing director. He worked in London and Washington, D.C.
In 2008, the founders of Carlyle asked Youngkin to focus on the company's overall plan. He helped lead different parts of the company. He also helped Carlyle become a public company. This means its shares could be bought and sold by anyone.
Becoming Co-CEO
In 2018, Youngkin became a co-CEO of The Carlyle Group. He shared the top leadership role with Kewsong Lee. Youngkin was in charge of areas like real estate and energy investments. During their time as co-CEOs, they helped change the company's structure.
Youngkin retired from The Carlyle Group in September 2020. He said he wanted to focus on helping his community.
Running for Governor in 2021
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In January 2021, Youngkin announced he would run for governor of Virginia. He used a lot of his own money for his campaign. This helped him get started.
He won the Republican nomination in May 2021. He beat six other candidates. All the Republican candidates showed support for Donald Trump. After winning, Youngkin also received Trump's support.
Youngkin's opponent in the main election was Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe had been governor before, from 2014 to 2018. Virginia's rules say a governor cannot serve two terms in a row. McAuliffe wanted to be the first to serve two terms since 1985.
Youngkin and McAuliffe debated twice during the campaign. Youngkin focused on local issues in Virginia. He tried to get support from both Trump supporters and those who did not support Trump.
Youngkin won the election on November 2, 2021. He received about 50.58% of the votes. This was the first time Republicans won a statewide election in Virginia since 2009. His win was due to many different voters. This included people in suburbs who had voted for Joe Biden in 2020. It also included Trump supporters.
Governor of Virginia (2022–present)
Starting as Governor
Youngkin became governor on January 15, 2022. He took office with his Republican running mates. These included Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares. Sears is the first woman of color elected to a statewide office in Virginia. Miyares is the first Latino elected to a statewide office. Many people saw this as a historic and diverse group of leaders.
Youngkin's first week as governor happened during a winter storm. Before his inauguration, he helped with a community service project. It was at a statue along the Richmond Slave Trail.
In his first speech, Youngkin talked about bringing people together. He also criticized how "toxic" modern politics had become. He signed several executive orders right after his speech. These orders caused some debate.
Key Policies and Ideas
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COVID-19 Response
Youngkin supports people getting the COVID-19 vaccine. However, he is against making vaccines or masks required. He and his family are vaccinated. He has said he will never tell people what they "must do" about vaccines. But he encourages everyone to get vaccinated.
On his first day, Youngkin signed an order to end mask mandates in public schools. This order also tried to stop local schools from having their own mask rules. This led to lawsuits. Later, a new law was signed that made masks optional in all public schools.
He also ended the COVID-19 vaccine rule for state employees. He also asked for a review of workplace safety rules. These rules were put in place by the previous governor.
Economy and Taxes
Youngkin often said Virginia's economy was "in the ditch" during his campaign. However, Virginia had low unemployment and a budget surplus at the time.
Tax Cuts
Youngkin proposed several tax cuts. These included:
- Ending the grocery tax.
- Giving a one-time refund on income tax.
- Increasing the standard deduction for income tax.
- Cutting the retirement tax for veterans.
In 2022, Youngkin signed a state budget that included $4 billion in tax cuts. This budget increased the standard deduction for personal income tax. It also included one-time tax refunds. Part of the grocery tax was also removed. The budget also fully included Youngkin's plan to make military pensions tax-free up to $40,000 a year.
Education Focus
Education was a main topic of Youngkin's campaign. He held "Parents Matter" rallies. He focused on issues like how schools teach about race and transgender students.
Cultural Issues and Curriculum
Youngkin spoke against teaching critical race theory in schools. This is a topic that looks at how race and racism have shaped laws and society.
He also criticized rules that supported transgender students. He believes public school teachers should not hide information about students from their parents. This includes a student's gender identity.
His first action as governor was to ban critical race theory in Virginia schools. This order also stopped a math program. This program aimed to help all students and teach modern job skills. Youngkin and others said it would lower standards. However, education officials said it would not remove advanced math classes.
In 2022, Youngkin asked Virginia colleges to promote different political ideas when hiring. He also worked to change how history and social sciences are taught in schools. Some people felt these changes would reduce focus on marginalized groups.
He also supported a bill to change how some special high schools admit students. These schools had changed their rules to increase diversity. Youngkin's bill would have banned this approach.
Education Budget
Youngkin wanted to increase the education budget. Teacher salaries in Virginia had been lower than the national average.
In 2022, Youngkin signed a state budget that put $19.2 billion into education. This was a record amount. This budget included a 10% salary increase for teachers over two years. Teachers also received one-time bonuses.
The budget also put $1.25 billion into school construction and repairs. The Virginia Preschool Initiative was also expanded. This program helps low-income children get preschool.
Charter and Lab Schools
Youngkin supports having more charter schools in Virginia. These are public schools that are run differently from regular public schools. He wants to add at least 20 new ones. He also wants to change who approves new charter schools.
The 2022 state budget included $100 million to bring back lab schools in Virginia. These are K-12 public schools that work with colleges or universities. Youngkin wants to allow private businesses to partner with lab schools too.
Youngkin also wants to change how lab schools are funded. He wants money for students in lab schools to go to the lab schools directly. Currently, it goes to the local public school districts.
Environment and Energy
When asked about climate change, Youngkin said he doesn't know what causes it. He believes the cause is not important. He supports building seawalls to protect against rising sea levels.
He is in favor of using many types of energy. This includes renewable energy and natural gas. He wants Virginia to be a leader in nuclear energy. He proposed building a small modular reactor in Virginia within the next 10 years.
Youngkin wants Virginia to leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This is a program that aims to reduce carbon pollution. He calls it a "carbon tax." He says leaving it would save people money on their utility bills. Others say leaving would cut off money used for flood control and energy help for low-income families.
Voting Rules
As governor, Youngkin has talked about helping former felons get their voting rights back. Virginia is one of the few states where former felons do not automatically get their voting rights back after their sentence.
In 2022, Youngkin signed a law to remove deceased voters from Virginia's voting lists more often. He also signed a law to change how absentee ballots are reported.
Personal Life
Before becoming governor, Youngkin lived in Great Falls, Virginia. He lives with his wife, Suzanne, and their four children.
In 2020, Youngkin and his wife started a nonprofit group. It is called Virginia Ready Initiative. It helps unemployed people get job training. It also connects them with possible employers.
Youngkin has a lot of money. He put some of his money into a "blind trust." This means he doesn't control those investments directly. He has said he will donate his entire governor's salary to charities. He has given money to groups that help first responders and veterans.
Youngkin is 6 feet 5 inches tall. He played college basketball.
He and his wife helped start Holy Trinity Church in McLean, Virginia. It is a Christian church. The Youngkins set up a private foundation that owns the church property. It also owns a farm used as a Christian retreat.
See also
In Spanish: Glenn Youngkin para niños
