As we brace for another government shutdown courtesy of House Republicans and idiot House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R. CA), a GOP government shutdown would cause a lot of on federal workers and the economy. But Axios makes the case that Governor Glenn Youngkin (R. VA) and his fellow Virginia Republicans would also be casualties of GOP government shutdown:
A shutdown forced by Republicans in Congress would make that scenario more difficult for Youngkin — and send economic ripples through politically divided Virginia.
- The state is home to more than 140,000 federal workers — half of them in Northern Virginia, just outside D.C. — plus thousands more who do business with the government.
- Virginia Republicans are fretting about voters taking out their anger on the GOP in November's state elections if there's a shutdown.
- "In these NoVa districts, a shutdown is just not helpful," said former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). "We saw that in the government shutdown in 2013 — it killed Ken Cuccinelli," Davis said, referring to the GOP candidate for Virginia governor who lost by 2.6 percentage points that year.
- "Republicans in Congress are making it harder for Republicans in Virginia to win," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at University of Mary Washington. "Taking away someone's paycheck, even temporarily, is a major source of anxiety."
FYI, Virginia Republicans think this is a winning issue:
Republicans in the state are putting six figures behind new digital advertisements out this week, which paint Democrats as the party of “no limits.” The move by Republicans to go on offense on the issue comes as Democrats are counting on abortion, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the specter of new restrictions under GOP-controlled state government as the key to turning out voters in what is usually a low-turnout off-year election.
Republicans have high hopes of flipping Virginia’s state Senate and holding the state House of Delegates in November, which would give them full control of state government under GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin, seeking the governing majority that would allow him to enact parts of his agenda he has struggled to push through a divided legislature, is leading what has become a massive investment in the statehouse races by tapping into a national donor network, attending fundraisers from Nantucket to Dallas.
And abortion has become a flashpoint, with Democrats campaigning on the fact that a GOP majority would threaten Virginia’s status as the last state in the South without significant restrictions on abortion rights.
FYI:
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