President Joe Biden seemed to imply during a Tuesday campaign event that Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory for the position was fraudulent, appearing to call Youngkin’s former opponent the “real governor.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden appeared at a campaign event in Manassas, Virginia, alongside their spouses, each speaking to the crowd about abortion rights and access for the country.
As the president stepped up to speak, a crowd behind him could be heard yelling “Let’s go, Joe,” as well as holding “Defend Choice” and “Biden-Harris” signs. Biden opened up his speech by thanking the crowd before saying “hello” to former Virginia Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe, whom he called the “real governor.” (RELATED: Biden Pro-Abortion Speech Derailed As Pro-Palestinian Protesters Continuously Interrupt)
“Hello, Virginia! And the real governor, Terry McAuliffe,” Biden said.
The president then added that he was “Jill Biden’s husband and Kamala’s running mate,” noting that the line was a joke before carrying on with his speech. (RELATED: Unionization Rate Falls To Record Low Despite Biden’s Efforts To Bolster Organized Labor)
“My name’s Joe Biden — I’m Jill Biden’s husband and Kamala’s running mate. Kidding aside, thank you Kamala for your leadership, protecting reproductive freedom and for so much more that you do,” Biden stated.
Since the statement from Biden went up on Twitter Youngkin responded in a social media post stating, “Mr. President, I’m right here.”
Mr. President, I’m right here. https://t.co/wSpbqmLX9w
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) January 23, 2024
During the state’s 2021 elections, Youngkin beat McAuliffe in the race for Virginia’s governor position, making the lawmaker the first Republican to win statewide since 2009. Youngkin had won the race by nearly two points, with record turnouts from rural areas in the state.
Republican Winsome Sears also won the state’s lieutenant governor position in 2021, and Republicans flipped six seats in the Virginia State House.