WATCH: Va. Gov. Youngkin blasts Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan campaign speech
LANSING, Mi. (7News) — 7News was the first to report that Va. Gov. Glenn Youngkin agreed to visit Michigan on Saturday to campaign for Republican businesswoman Tudor Dixon.
Dixon is running against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Youngkin headlined the Michigan Republican Party state convention in support of the Republican ticket.
READ MORE: Youngkin headed to Michigan to campaign for GOP governor candidate Tudor Dixon
WATCH the full speech below:
Below is a full copy of Youngkin's speech:
“When I was on my way here this morning, I was thinking about the many things that make this state so great. That great Michigan promise?”
“And then I thought about my very first car—the first vehicle I ever drove. It was a Dodge Coronet Station Wagon.”
“That’s right: I was that really cool teenager with a Dodge Coronet Station Wagon.”
“I can remember every detail of that car. It was originally gray, then we painted it blue—so it went from being the “grey ghost” to the “blue bomb.”
“And more important than the color, or the fact that it cost a grand total of $500 ($575 if you include the paint job), or had the best AM radio that $500 could buy - the most important thingwas that it was made right here in Michigan.”
“I think for a lot of us, the first car we get—those first moments on the road, solo—are some of the first moments that we experience what freedom feels like.”
“We know what it feels like to be able to go where we want, when we want, without anyone standing in our way.”
“That feeling of freedom—that spirit of possibility and optimism and excitement—that spirit was born right here in Michigan.”
“We can’t take that spirit for granted—and we can’t let others take it away from us.”
READ ALSO: Gov. Glenn Youngkin to visit Nevada to campaign for conservative candidates
“And some people are trying to take it from us. Like road blocks and detours on the road, big government and bad leadership is trying to extinguish that great American spirit.”
“I’ve seen it happen, because it’s what happened in Virginia after progressive, liberal leadership tried to turn Virginia into California.”
“But last year, we ignited the Spirit of Virginia.”
“Go back in time with me for a minute. Life in Virginia had gotten pretty bleak the last few years.”
“During the pandemic, Virginia was shut down. Locked tight. Just like you were in Michigan.”
“Business owners in Bristol, Virginia, sat in their empty stores when right across the street the businesses in Bristol, Tennessee, were open and thriving.”
“Sound familiar, Michigan?”
“Virginia workers were sent home—and oh, by the way, paid to be there on the taxpayer’s dime.”
“Like Michigan, we also saw Virginia hit a 20-year high in murder rate. Why? Because our law enforcement heroes were demeaned and demoralized. Next thing you know murder rates go up and prosecutors who were backed by George Soros stopped enforcing the laws.”
“Sound familiar, Michigan?”
“Virginia small businesses closed in record numbers, and people voted with their feet. More Virginians moved away than to Virginia from the other 49 states.”
“Sound familiar Michigan?”
“In Michigan, Virginia, and around the country, schools were forced to close, and students were told, “You can’t come in.”
“And worst of all, schools told parents, “You have no say in your child’s education.”
“This wake up call was ringing loudly across Virginia and across the nation.”
“The curriculum that was supposed to be about critical math, critical science, and critical reading was now about preaching—a political philosophy.”
“It was teaching them what to think—not how to think.”
“And let me tell you, parents said enough.”
“Last year, Virginians stood up and said no—and I’m here to tell you: You can too!”
“It wasn’t just Republicans. Democrats said enough. Independents said enough. Latinos said enough. Black Virginians said enough. Teachers said enough. Law enforcement said enough.”
“Virginians had a chance to make a statement—and you can do the same thing.”
“A year ago, all the DC pundits said Republicans couldn’t win in Virginia. They said, “Virginia’s blue, and the GOP can’t win the suburbs.”
“They told us that the liberal machine controlled the cradle of democracy—the cradle of democracy!—the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“And they were partially right: Virginia was blue. Virginia was dark blue.”
“But those pundits forgot to do one critically important thing – talk to voters. Because the voters of Virginia made a different statement—and that statement was heard around the nation.”
“We won votes from people who had never voted Republican in their lives. And all of a sudden, the Spirit of Virginia – the spirit that breathed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness into our nation – was alive and well.”
“Now it’s your turn.”
“Because: Elections have consequences.”
“And that’s why I’m here. We have got to elect Republicans into office all over our country, starting right here, by sending Tudor Dixon to the Governor’s office—and sending Gretchen Whitmer packing.”
“I’ll be honest with you, based on what I’ve read and heard, I don’t think Gretchen Whitmer ever unpacks.”
“The private jets to Florida, the boat trips to Elk Rapids, and of course, the thousands of miles she’s logged going to California to play politics with Nancy Pelosi and her friends.”
“And of course, it’s lock downs for all of you—and frequent flier miles for Whitmer and Pelosi.”
“Whitmer will set the rules and tell you what to do—but she doesn’t think the rules apply to her.”
“Michigan, it’s time to deliver a simple message from you to Gretchen Whitmer: Keep your bags packed, because come November, you can take all the trips you want—because Tudor Dixon is going to be Governor of Michigan.”
“Tudor is a businesswoman, a cancer survivor, a mother, and a patriot.”
“And she’s been right on the money about the big things that Gretchen Whitmer has gotten wrong.”
“Tudor was calling out the so-called “theories” being taught to our kids—long before anyone else.”
“Tudor was warning about Gretchen Whitmer’s lockdowns—way before anyone else.”
“And she didn’t just see the damage—she lived it. She and her four daughters had to say goodbye to Tudor’s grandmother—their Nana—through a window because Gretchen Whitmer shut families out of their loved ones lives!”
“And since then, she’s been fighting for all of you, driving thousands of miles, and listening to Michiganders about how together you can bring alive the spirit of Michigan.”
“And you know what she’s heard? She’s heard exactly what we heard in Virginia last year: Michiganders are done with the radical politics of Gretchen Whitmer and Joe Biden.”
“Look what they are doing to us. look what they’re doing to our nation.”
“Joe Biden ought to be moving us back to energy independence—not making us more dependent on Saudi Arabia.”
“Joe Biden ought to be standing tough on Russia—not enabling Russia to hold Europe hostage.”
“Joe Biden ought to be finding a way to rein in spending—instead inflation is out of control.”
“Joe Biden ought to be helping American businesses—instead, he’s doing everything he can make it easy for China to win.”
“Joe Biden ought to be securing our border, instead he has created a national security crisis.”
“Just like Virginians, You’ve all lived it and your children have suffered the most.”
“Kids fell behind because Gretchen Whitmer closed schools.”
“In Michigan, fifty percent of 3rd graders are not proficient in reading—half!”
“In Detroit, that number is closer to 90%.”
“It’s a disaster for our children and only progressive liberal Democrats would tolerate it because it keeps them in power.”
“When Republicans proposed help for families in the form of reading scholarships, Gretchen Whitmer vetoed it.”
“Let me tell you something: One of the first things I did as Governor of Virginia was to sign the Virginia Literacy Act.”
“And when Tudor Dixon becomes Governor of Michigan, she’ll do the same!”
“We can all see what they’re trying to do to us, and the values that we share across this nation – not Republican values, but American values.”
“Humbly, I’d say we know a little bit about those values in Virginia.”
“It was a Virginian who wrote those immortal words— “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“We believe those rights are sacred and that they are not decreed by a king or elites in Washington or Lansing or Richmond, but handed down to us by an almighty God.”
“Endowed by our creator – they’re our rights—no matter how hard Gretchen Whitmer and Joe Biden try to take them from us.”
“That’s the spirit of Virginia, and that’s the spirit of Michigan, and that’s the spirit of America. It’s what we’re fighting for this November.”
“Michiganders know what that spirit is like at its best. It’s about entrepreneurship, innovation, freedom, liberty, service, and an unshakable faith in God and in our country.”
“We are fighting for that spirit, and I’m here to tell you what the pundits and naysayers will not tell you: this is a fight you can win. And it’s a fight you must win.”
“But it takes all of us, every single person with us tonight and more!”
“You see, it takes an overwhelming force.”
“We built the largest election day operation machine the nation has ever seen.”
“We had over 5,000 volunteers working the polls in Virginia last year. Election officials, poll watchers. Over five thousand volunteers just working polling locations.”
“And you know what they did? They built confidence in the election process. It was amazing to watch.”
“We had more red signs than anyone had ever seen in Virginia. We had more people volunteering than anyone could ever remember.”
“This was a movement.”
“So now it’s on you. It’s on you this year. We need Tudor Dixon in the governor’s mansion, and you have to make that happen. You must:
Volunteer to work your polling locations
Join phone banks and go knock doors
Make sure there’s a sign on every corner
Bumper stickers on every car
A hat on every head and a t-shirt on every back
You might as well go ahead and get a red vest.”
“The winning team is the winning team. This is our chance. It’s our time.”
“We are the party with common sense solutions to the most important kitchen table issues.”
“We are on the side of
- Strong families
- Low taxes
- Safe communities
We are on the side of
- Small government
- Low inflation
- American-made products”
“We are on the side of:
- patriotism
- God-given liberties and the limitless opportunities that can lift up all Americans.”
“We are on the side of:
- Teaching our children how to think, not what to think.”
“We are on the side of parents—because guess what? Parents matter.”
“What Michiganders and Virginians want is simple: The best jobs, the best schools, safe communities, a government that works for you—and oh, by the way, a government that recognizes the Constitution is to be cherished and defended, not trampled.”
“The Republican Party stands for an America that leads. And it’s time for us to start leading again.”
“This red wave that found its headwaters last year in the Commonwealth of Virginia is cresting across America’s heartland, and it’s going to sweep away Nancy Pelosi back to California.”
“The moment is now – 73 days. We can do this. We’re bonded together by a spirit of liberty, and by determination, patriotism, and the belief that Michigan and Virginia and America’s best days are in front of us.”
“We can make America what we all know she must be – that shining city on a hill.”
“It’s time to go work. It’s time to get this done. And elect Tudor Dixon as the 50th Governor of the state of Michigan.”
“Thank you, God Bless You, God Bless Michigan, and God Bless the United States of America!”