Youngkin hosts quiet meeting with megadonors, fueling further speculations of White House bid

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin held several quiet closed-door meetings with reported megadonors in Manhattan last week, a move generating further speculation that the rising Republican star may be eyeing a White House bid in the near future. 

The governor, who clinched a surprise victory against longtime Democratic bundler Terry McAuliffe in last year's gubernatorial race, has indicated his intent to focus on the state whose government he heads up. “I am always humbled by this request [to run for the White House], but we have a lot of work to do today in Virginia," he said during a recent appearance on Fox & Friends. 

Yet the meetings last week have generated buzz that Youngkin may have notable intentions on making a bid for the White House. Youngkin adviser Matthew Moran confirmed to the Washington Post that the governor "met separately with three Republican megadonors in Manhattan" last week. 

Youngkin is "focused on doing the job he was elected to do in Virginia," Moran told the paper, "and that includes rebuilding our party here, winning back these competitive Virginia congressional seats and showing Republicans across the country that there’s a path forward in competitive states."

The Virginia governorship is Youngkin's first occupation of public office. The governor managed to win the state even as President Joe Biden carried it by 10 points in the 2020 election.