Youngkin believes Virginia ‘still in play’ despite Biden dropping out

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) is not backing down from claims that Virginia is in play for former President Donald Trump , even after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

Biden announced he would not continue his run for president amid poor polling, which had him tied or trailing in blue states like Virginia, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket. Youngkin, speaking with Bloomberg on Monday, said that voters would hold Harris accountable for the record of the Biden administration and that Virginia is "still in play" for Republicans.

Governor @GlennYoungkin : “I think Virginia is still in play. Virginians are stating that they want strong leadership, NOT weak leadership. They know that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden led this administration together, and that track record is her track record, and I think that… pic.twitter.com/SruUltw451

"I think that Virginia is still in play. And what we're seeing, of course, is Virginians are stating that they want strong leadership, not weak leadership," Youngkin said.

"They know that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden led this administration together, and that that track record, it's her track record, and I think that Americans are reflecting the same sentiment. They're ready for strength in the White House, not weakness," he added.

The Trump campaign has worked to tie Harris to Biden's record after the president dropped out of the race, even referring to her as "Joe Biden 2.0" but adding that "her record is even worse and she is even further to the left.”

Youngkin also noted that Harris's poll numbers against Trump are not significantly better than Biden's, and that it stems from her connection to the president's administration, which she is a part of.

"I think that reflects the fact that Virginians and Americans recognize that it was the Biden-Harris administration, and she owns the performance, and it's not going to be any different than the one that Joe Biden had," Youngkin said.

A poll from the Hill and Emerson College released prior to Biden's announcement showed Trump leading Biden 45.4%-43.5% in Virginia, while in a hypothetical matchup between Trump and Harris, Trump leads the vice president 46.7%-44.5%.

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Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), is scheduled to hold a campaign event in Radford, Virginia, on Monday, a week after he was tapped to be the former president's vice presidential nominee.

Harris, who appears to be the likely Democratic presidential nominee, has yet to name a running mate, but several names are being floated , including Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY) and Roy Cooper (D-NC).