Youngkin’s adviser says the 2024 race is about more than Trump, DeSantis

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NEW YORK (AP) — A top political adviser to Glenn Youngkin insisted Monday that there is room for the Virginia governor to enter the Republican presidential primary a day after the aide said the campaign is a “two-person race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.”

Jeff Roe, a strategist for Youngkin, told The Associated Press that his comments over the weekend on Fox News were not a sign of Youngkin’s intentions or future prospects.

“The current field and the current race show two strong candidates ahead, but politics changes and a year is a lifetime in politics,” Roe said Monday.

He called Youngkin “a unicorn in American politics,” the first Republican in more than a decade to be elected governor of Virginia, and just a year after Trump lost there to Democrat Joe Biden by 10 percentage points.

If Youngkin decides to run for president, he will “create a lane for himself,” Roe said. “He doesn’t need a lane made for him.”

Youngkin has been seen as a potential presidential candidate but has repeatedly demurred about whether to run. In a separate interview with Fox News Channel on Sunday morning, Youngkin said he is “very focused on Virginia,” where the legislative session has just ended and budget negotiations are underway.

“My eyes right now are definitely on Virginia and we have a lot of good work to do here,” Youngkin said.

On the same network, Roe said in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” that the field of 2024 GOP candidates will be very small because of the strength of Trump and DeSantis and looming Republican National Committee rules that require candidates to show broad support by meeting donor and poll boundaries to participate in debates.

“The truth is, it’s a two-man race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis,” Roe said.

Apparently closing the door, he added, “There’s no room for a third or fourth, or even a fifth man in this race.”

But he said Monday that he was not broadcasting any advice to Youngkin.

“The governor makes his decisions based on his ability to win, his ability to make a difference and what his heart drives him to do,” Roe said. “He doesn’t make decisions like this based on politics or political consultants or hacks.”

“There’s a time and a place for decisions like this to be made,” he said.

Asked for comment about Roe’s remarks, Youngkin political aide Becca Glover did not respond directly to them. Instead, he said: “The governor is always pleased that his name comes up in talks about 2024, especially since he is already a respected leader within the party, not just a new face.”

Speculation about Youngkin’s possible bid began after he gained national attention by defeating Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021.

He’s taken other steps that have added to the conversation, including traveling the country that stumped for other Republican candidates for governor last year, hosting campaign-style policy events in the state and throwing private events for high-profile donors.

An adviser to Youngkin confirmed that he is scheduled to meet in New York City this week with Republican donors and political figures. The meetings were first reported by The New York Times.

Youngkin is a wealthy former private-equity executive who loaned his 2021 campaign $20 million and has contacts in the business world he can tap for campaign contributions.

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Associated Press writer Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.

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