The most pivotal election of 2021 and what it says about the bigger showdowns ahead in 2022

Republican Glenn Youngkin's victory in Virginia's gubernatorial showdown was arguably the most pivotal election of 2021

For those missing in action the past two months, Glenn Youngkin, a first-time candidate who hailed from the business wing of the Republican Party, narrowly defeated former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a statewide contest with plenty of national implications. While Virginia gubernatorial elections are seen every four years as a likely bellwether of things to come in the ensuing midterm elections, some pundits are spotlighting what they consider the critical consequences of the 2021 results ahead of the 2022 midterms.