But: Youngkin was able to give this and other school issues traction based on unique circumstances in Virginia. Virginia schools were closed for a long time at the height of the pandemic. There was a high-profile sexual assault case in a politically important county that Youngkin latched on to, criticizing how the school system handled it. And there was a years-old legislative debate about sexually explicit books in schools that he successfully revived because his opponent had vetoed a related bill. And his opponent, former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe, gave Youngkin a gift when he said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

Source: Washington Post November 04, 2021 21:03 UTC