Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon unleashed a blistering critique of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday, blaming him for what he called a “generation-long” setback for Republicans in the state after Democrats swept key statewide races.
Speaking on his WarRoom program, Bannon, who hails from Virginia, called the election results an “absolute disaster” for the GOP and said Youngkin’s leadership had effectively “destroyed the Republican Party” in the commonwealth.
“In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, bro, what are you spending time in Iowa [for]?” Bannon said, mocking speculation that the governor might harbor national political ambitions. “You just ended your political career last night. As a native Virginian, you destroyed—you destroyed—the Republican Party for a generation. There are seats in the House of Delegates that are unfathomable that were lost last night, to a supermajority, a super majority in the House.”
Bannon’s comments came after Democrats won sweeping victories across the state, with Representative Abigail Spanberger defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor’s race. Democrats also captured the attorney general’s office, where Jay Jones prevailed, and the lieutenant governor’s race, which was won by Ghazala Hashmi. The results cemented Democratic dominance in Virginia, a state that has steadily drifted leftward over the past decade despite periodic Republican efforts to reclaim it.
Bannon reserved particular ire for Youngkin’s decision to back Earle-Sears, whom he described as a “Trump-hating disaster.” He accused Youngkin of sidelining grassroots conservatives and manipulating the process to ensure her nomination.
“It is a disgrace that you push that lieutenant governor that you weaponized against Trump in ’21 and ’22 when you wanted [Ron] DeSantis,” Bannon fumed. “You weaponized her, and then you rigged it that there wasn’t even a primary. She’s going to be the candidate and she was an unmitigated Trump-hating disaster.”
The former Trump adviser predicted that Republican fortunes in Virginia would mirror those of deep-blue states like California and Massachusetts, where Democrats hold overwhelming majorities. “Virginia’s gonna go 10-1 in the House,” Bannon warned. “They’re gonna be like New England, or they’re gonna be like Illinois, or they’re gonna be California—the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Bannon’s critique extended beyond Youngkin. He also lamented what he described as a lack of active involvement from President Donald Trump in recent state races, suggesting that Trump’s presence might have galvanized conservative voters. “They’ve had no engagement in Trump in any of these elections,” Bannon said. “He wasn’t engaged in New Jersey. He’s not engaged in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He’s not engaged in New York City. He’s not engaged in California.”
The fiery exchange underscored growing tensions within the Republican Party as it struggles to reconcile its pro-Trump populist wing with establishment conservatives like Youngkin, who have sought to appeal to suburban voters. For Bannon, the message was clear: without Trump’s full-throated engagement and without candidates aligned with the America First movement, Republicans risk not only losing elections—but losing their political identity altogether.
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