Virginia is on the line in 2023

Virginia may be “on the verge of the death spiral that comes when government unions conquer a state,” writes John Tillman, the CEO of our parent organization. Living in Chicago, he’s seen it before, as he wrote in his recent piece for the Wall Street Journal “Glenn Youngkin’s Quest to Keep Virginia From Becoming Illinois.”...

Virginia may be “on the verge of the death spiral that comes when government unions conquer a state,” writes John Tillman, the CEO of our parent organization. Living in Chicago, he’s seen it before, as he wrote in his recent piece for the Wall Street Journal “Glenn Youngkin’s Quest to Keep Virginia From Becoming Illinois.”

There is buzz around Youngkin as a presidential candidate, but his future in the White House and the outcome of Virginia’s election this November are inextricably linked. All 140 seats in the commonwealth’s General Assembly will be contested, and the outcome will decide if the unions continue their takeover – or if the people rein them in. 

Tillman writes, “If Republicans fall short, it will get harder to repeal public-sector collective bargaining, since unions will become more powerful with every passing year. It may be now or never to stop Virginia from becoming a wholly owned union subsidiary like Illinois. If Mr. Youngkin succeeds in winning back the General Assembly this November, it won’t merely add to the buzz around him as a possible presidential candidate. It may very well save Virginia.”

One of the tallest hurdles Youngkin will have to overcome is what Tillman calls the “teachers union monopoly in education.” The unions tried hard to beat him in 2021 when he ran for governor on a school choice platform. Now, they want to flex their muscle and ensure he doesn’t have a large enough majority to pass sweeping education reform that empowers parents. As he wrote, “With an influx of union dues, unions have opened the floodgates on election spending. The Virginia Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, increased its political contributions 11-fold between 2020 and 2022, and it’s on track to break that record this year.” 

Around Virginia, unions are playing to win – and Youngkin’s agenda is their greatest threat. Those who are worried about the commonwealth’s future, either in the education of its children or its ability to operate outside of union control, will need to stay informed and vote accordingly.  Stay tuned to Virginia Works as we keep you updated on what’s happening and how you can make a difference.