Glenn Youngkin Gives Victory Speech to Raucous Crowd: ‘Virginia, We Won This Thing!’

Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia gubernatorial race early Wednesday morning, defeating Democratic establishment favorite Terry McAuliffe.

McAuliffe had consistently led the polls for months, but the Republican businessman closed the gap and peaked at the right time. After numerous news organizations called the race, Youngkin addressed supporters in Chantilly, Virginia and walked on stage to Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky.” He delivered an energetic and ambitious speech just after 1 a.m.

“Alrighty, Virginia, we won this thing!” bellowed Youngkin. “First of all, thank you for waiting, waiting a few minutes longer than we thought. Breakfast will be served shortly.”

“My fellow Virginians,” he said, “We stand here this morning at this defining moment, a defining moment that, yes, started with two people on a walk. And a defining moment that is now millions of Virginians walking together. Walking together, sharing dreams and hopes just like the ones that have always been planted on my own heart.”

Youngkin stated he’d initiate a “transformation” on his first day in office.

“There’s no time to waste,” he said to applause. “Our kids can’t wait. We work in real people time, not government time. So, on day one, we’re going to work. We’re going to restore excellence in our schools. We will invest the largest education budget in the history of the commonwealth. We’re going to invest in teachers, new facilities, special education. We’re going to introduce choice within our public school system. How about that? Choice within the public school system.”

Later he declared,

We will not be a commonwealth of low expectations. We’ll be a commonwealth of high expectations. And friends, all of that has changed tonight. A campaign that came from nowhere. But we were joined by neighbors and friends of all races, of all religions, of all ages, of all political ideologies. And it turned into a movement.

This stopped being a campaign long ago. This is the spirit of Virginia coming together like never before. The spirit of Washington and Jefferson and Madison and Monroe and Patrick Henry, of Virginians standing up and taking our commonwealth back. My fellow Virginians, this is our moment. It’s our moment for parents, grandparents, for aunts, for uncles, neighbors, to change children’s lives, to change their Virginia journey. It’s our time to turn that vision into a reality.

Watch above via CNN.

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