Report card shows Youngkin a match for centrist Virginia

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) and a large chunk of commonwealth lawmakers have been graded as political centrists in a new report card, staying in line with the state’s change from a bastion of conservatism to one that has chosen Democratic presidential candidates since 2008.

In a scorecard released to help voters choose their delegate and Senate candidates in next month’s election, the conservative Institute for Legislative Analysis graded Youngkin as a centrist on average.

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“Governor Glenn Youngkin’s legislative record (bill signage and vetoes) fell almost directly down the political center with a moderate 48.98% rating. When examining specific policy fields, the governor generally took more conservative stances on issues relating to crime, healthcare, and protecting individual liberties, while leaning more to the left when it came to tax and fiscal, environmental, and regulatory policy,” said the group that advocates limited government.

Youngkin has been campaigning hard in Virginia for Republicans to hold the House of Delegates and win the Senate so that he can push through some of his more controversial agenda items, such as tax cuts, items likely to move his grade more to the right. Liberals in the Senate have sometimes handcuffed him in Richmond.

The group found that the average Virginia Republican senator rating was 69.74% on a 0-100 scale and that the House was more partisan, with the GOP members at an average of 77.97%, more conservative on the scale, on which 100 is a perfect pro-liberty rating.

In the election, both sides have charged the other as extreme. But in advertisements, the core issues being played up are abortion and crime, with each side using national party talking points, and few candidates touching on local issues.

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The Institute for Legislative Analysis sounded a bit displeased with GOP averages.

“Unfortunately, the rhetoric of politicians at election time often doesn’t match up with their real actions at voting time,” said ILA CEO Ryan McGowan. “We are excited to provide this new resource to help voters — regardless of their political belief — cut through the rhetoric and make informed decisions at the ballot box,” he added.