ABC’s Jon Karl: Youngkin Victory Was ‘a Win for Republicans Who Stayed Away’ From Trump

The way ABC’s Jon Karl sees it, Glenn Youngkin’s (R) gubernatorial win in Virginia says a lot about what could happen if Republicans were to cast former President Donald Trump aside.

Karl beamed into Good Morning America on Wednesday to break down the results of Election Day with George Stephanopoulos. Between Terry McAuliffe’s (D) defeat in Virginia and the race in New Jersey still too close to call, Karl called it “a sonic boom of a wake-up call for Democrats,” based on how both states have swung since the 2020 general election.

“The Democrats tried relentlessly to tie both of these candidates to Donald Trump, and this strategy failed miserably,” Karl said. “It failed in Virginia and, again, the fact that New Jersey, we don’t know the results here. [Phil] Murphy may still pull it out, but the fact that that state is so close is really something that nobody anticipated, and perhaps even a bigger wake-up call for Democrats than Virginia.”

Stephanopoulos proceeded to ask if Youngkin’s victory represents a “win” for Trump, which the former president seems to believe since he’s taking credit for it. Karl suggested that the opposite was true, referring to the fact Youngkin kept Trump at a distance throughout his campaign, even while Democrats keep making the ex-president the focus of their campaigns.

I think the lesson for Republicans here is the way to win elections now is to run away from Donald Trump. In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin had Trump’s endorsement but, George, he didn’t campaign with him, not even once. He barely mentioned Donald Trump except when he was ridiculing Terry McAuliffe for trying so relentlessly to tie him to Donald Trump. In New Jersey, Jack Ciattarelli didn’t even vote for Donald Trump in 2016, and he won the Republican primary by defeating pro-Trump candidates, so no, not a win for Donald Trump. It was a win for Republicans who stayed away from Donald Trump.

Watch above, via ABC.