Glenn Youngkin States He Won’t Run for President ‘This Year’

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told a reporter Monday that he does not plan to run for president “this year,” ending skepticism that he will launch a campaign in the coming months.

“No,” Youngkin told Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerard Baker when asked if he would be “dusting off” his signature fleece vest he became known for during his successful gubernatorial campaign.

Instead, Youngkin plans to focus on the state he was elected to lead during the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election.

“On November 2nd, Virginians made a different choice. It was a choice to restore parents’ rights because parents matter. It was a choice to lift the burdens on small businesses and to bring back more jobs. It was a choice for common sense,” Youngkin said.

Youngkin’s remarks came during a Milken Institute “Governing America” event at the Reagan Library.

“I’m going to be working in Virginia this year,” Youngkin added.

“And so our House and Senate are up for full reelection this year. We have a House that’s controlled by Republicans and a Senate that’s controlled by Democrats,” the governor continued. “I want to hold our House, and I’d like to flip our Senate. And I think we’re doing a really good job in Virginia, and I think this is a chance to bring that to voters.”

Youngkin was often considered a presidential contender until recently when two of his top outside consultants joined a super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

A senior Youngkin aide told Breitbart News that Youngkin’s remarks were not “an announcement or a definitive decline, he was simply answering a question.”

“This answer has been pretty standard and the same for him for the last few months,” the Youngkin aide added.

The current declared field of candidates includes front-runner former President Donald Trump along with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Along with DeSantis, the list of potential candidates includes prominent Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, and Sen. Tim Scott (SC), among others.

Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.