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Republican Glenn Youngkin sworn in as Virginia 74th governor

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Striking a tone of bipartisanship and optimism, Virginia’s new governor, Glenn Youngkin, pledged to “restore trust in government and to restore power to the people” after he was sworn in to office Saturday.

“Today we stand together on behalf of Virginians who’ve never lost faith, even when they suffered loss. Of Virginians who have not stopped dreaming of a better life, even in the midst of trials and tribulation,” he said in front of the historic state Capitol to thousands of enthusiastic spectators. “My fellow Virginians, the spirit of Virginia is alive and well. And together we will strengthen it.”

“No matter who you voted for, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, your governor,” said the Republican, a former private equity executive and newcomer to politics.

Youngkin’s inaugural speech was part of a weekend of pomp and circumstance in Richmond as Virginia’s newly elected GOP leaders took office. Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears also were sworn in during the outdoor ceremony.

The moment opened a new chapter of governance in a state where Democrats had spent the past two years in full control of government and occupied the governor’s mansion for the past eight.

Youngkin acknowledged the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, including the more than 15,000 Virginians who have died, and pledged to lead the state to a “new and better day.” While Youngkin encourages those eligible to get vaccinated, among his first acts as governor was ending a vaccine requirement for state workers.

He also sounded his campaign themes, pledging to cut taxes, “remove politics from the classroom,” raise teacher and law enforcement pay, and boost the economy. As omicron infections fill hospitals with unvaccinated patients in Virginia and around the country, he vowed to keep children in schools, emphasizing the importance of in-person education and acknowledging the toll virtual schooling has taken on working parents, especially mothers.

“We know that when our children don’t go to school it harms their learning and development.

So let me be clear — we must keep our children in school five days a week,” he said.

References to Virginia’s long history and America’s Founding Fathers were woven through the address, but Youngkin also acknowledged the country’s “chapters of great injustice.”

He credited “barrier-breakers” like former Gov. Doug Wilder, the nation’s first-elected Black governor, with leading the way for the inauguration of Miyares and Earle-Sears, who both made history themselves. Miyares is first Latino to serve in the position and Earle-Sears is the first woman of color to serve in a statewide office.

Youngkin said their election showed that “Virginia is big enough for the hopes and dreams of a diverse people.”

Shortly before the ceremony began, Virginia’s former governors met with Youngkin and outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam inside the Capitol. Every living governor but Youngkin’s opponent in last year’s election, Terry McAuliffe, was in attendance. McAuliffe tweeted that he and his wife were “quarantining due to a close COVID contact in the interest of health and safety” and wished Youngkin well.

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https://edition.newstribune.com/article/281663963374141

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