RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats are vowing to make it harder for Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to roll back liberal policies and push a conservative agenda.
Democratic lawmakers say they have a “blue firewall” in the Senate where they hold the majority and that could hold up a lot of the governor’s plans, according to 13News Now political analyst Quentin Kidd.
“A lot of things that Glenn Youngkin championed on the campaign trail and he has tried to enact -- in various ways, through executive orders -- will never become law," Kidd said. "Or at least not in this legislative session."
The Virginia Senate is narrowly divided with Democrats in the majority. Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) on Twitter said: “…We are standing strong in the Senate to save Virginia!”
Kidd said for a Republican governor and a Republican-led House of Delegates, this could be a big problem.
“If one chamber doesn’t agree with something, that thing doesn’t become law," Kidd explained. "That’s what Democrats are referring to when they say the blue wall.”
But Kidd said a Democratic Senate and Republican House doesn’t mean lawmakers will stop everything Governor Youngkin wants to do. Kidd pointed out, the majority of legislation that passes the General Assembly is passed with bipartisan support.
“There will be lots of legislation that is passed by compromise, just not those hot button issues that get the bases of both sides really worked up," Kidd said. "Whether it’s on the topic of abortion, criminal justice reform, marijuana legalization.”
But things like school choice could draw support from both sides.
Kidd said the big question for him is, will Youngkin learn how to encourage compromise and strike a deal with Democrats promising to hold their ground.
“He has no political experience beyond running for governor," Kidd said. "He was a surprise win in the Republican primary, he was a surprise win in the general election. He comes with a business background. Can he learn how to work the legislative process?”
Kidd said it’s not uncommon for one chamber in the General Assembly to resist another. It also happened during former Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration when he tried to expand Medicaid, but the Republican-led House resisted.