Glenn Youngkin’s path to White House must plow through teachers union monopoly in education

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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin may run for president, but first, he’s focused on winning the commonwealth’s midterm elections this November. He’s not on the ballot, but all 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are. If Republicans expand their narrow majority in the House of Delegates and take back the Senate, Gov. Youngkin will be free to pass a sweeping agenda, with a particular focus on education reform and parental rights. It could make him a conservative hero just weeks before the presidential primary season begins.

But teachers’ unions, who tried hard to defeat Youngkin in 2021, have other plans. Three years ago, then-Gov. Ralph Northam signed a law enabling local government employees, most notably teachers, to collectively bargain for the first time in state history. Teachers’ unions hadn’t made any headway before Gov. Youngkin was elected in 2021, but they’ve spent the past two years furiously organizing. They secured their first collective bargaining agreement in Richmond late last year, with essentially all of Northern Virginia not far behind. 

The 2023 elections are the unions’ first real chance to flex their muscle. It’s an understatement to say they intend a show of strength. With

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