Glenn Youngkin (R) will skip what is typically the premier debate of the Virginia governor’s race, saying he objects to the moderator, PBS NewsHour host Judy Woodruff, because she once donated $250 to the Clinton Foundation’s Haitian earthquake relief fund, the Washington Post reports.

“Former Carlyle Group co-CEO Glenn Youngkin may have earned Donald Trump’s endorsement in the Virginia governor’s race, but now he’s the one trying to tie the former president to his opponent,” Bloomberg reports.

“After former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe ran an ad highlighting Trump’s endorsement of Youngkin, the Republican’s campaign responded with its own ad highlighting McAuliffe’s past ties to Trump.”

Associated Press: “While creating big profits for the firm’s investors, Carlyle’s deals sometimes triggered layoffs, outsourced jobs and complaints from the people served by the companies acquired.”

“Carlyle made investments in several companies under Youngkin’s leadership that moved at least 1,300 American jobs offshore.”

Kyle Kondik: “There are some operatives who believe that early ad spending can help define a candidate positively and protect them from negative attacks later on.”

“A recent, anecdotal example of this we have heard from professionals on both sides is the campaign of now-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Sinema did not have to worry about her primary in 2018, so she spent the months leading up to Arizona’s August primary bolstering her image while her opponent, Martha McSally (R), had to tack to the right in her own primary, which she ended up winning convincingly but which she could not take for granted. By the time the November campaign started in force, Sinema had positively presented herself to Arizonans, arguably taking some bite out of Republican ads that sought to portray her as radical.”

“Youngkin is effectively trying to do the same thing in his general election advertising.”

Glenn Youngkin (R) “has bankrolled a $2 million radio and television blitz since securing his party’s nomination for Virginia governor in early May, an unusually early and aggressive start to advertising by a wealthy, self-funded candidate,” the Washington Post reports.

“Glenn Youngkin was for Terry McAuliffe’s economy before he was against it,” Insider reports.

“It’s an uncomfortable bit of reality for Youngkin, now the GOP nominee for Virginia governor who as CEO of the global investment firm The Carlyle Group routinely praised the state’s economic progress while McAuliffe was its chief executive.”

A new JMC Analytics poll in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) with a 4-point lead over Glenn Youngkin (R), 46% to 42% with 12% still undecided.

“This year’s competitive gubernatorial race in Virginia will likely come down to answers to these two questions,” First Read reports.

“One, just how potent is Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin’s change message? (‘It’s going to take an outsider, a new kind of leader to bring a new day to Virginia,’ Youngkin says in his heavily played TV ad.)”

“And two, is Trump still a powerful — and galvanizing — issue for Democrats and nominee Terry McAuliffe? (‘Glenn Youngkin is not a reasonable Republican. He is a loyalist to Donald Trump,’ goes a new McAuliffe digital ad.)”

“I don’t think Trump has the courage to come back to Virginia.”

— Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), in an MSNBC interview, on whether he expects Donald Trump to campaign for Glenn Youngkin (R) in Virginia’s gubernatorial race.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Virginia’s Democratic trend gives Terry McAuliffe an early edge, but it’s common for Virginia gubernatorial races to look a lot different than the previous year’s presidential race.”

“Matchups for the state’s down-ballot races were also set, but don’t expect a ton of ticket-splitting among the state’s three statewide elected offices.”

NBC News: “Two weeks before Democrats pick his opponent, Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin is hitting Virginia’s airwaves with his first TV ad of the general election in the state’s race for governor.”

“Youngkin’s ad is airing statewide over the next two weeks, including in pricey Northern Virginia, at a cost of $1.6 million.”

Following several threats to run as an independent over a Virginia GOP nominating process for Governor she called “rigged,” state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) told Richmond’s Morning News with John Reid she will instead support nominee Glenn Youngkin (R).

Washington Post: “Before securing the GOP nomination for Virginia governor, Glenn Youngkin sidestepped questions about whether President Biden had legitimately won the White House — something followers of former president Donald Trump doubt.”

“But days after winning both the nomination and Trump’s endorsement, Youngkin appeared to change his rhetoric.”

Said Youngkin: “I have said before that Joe Biden was legitimately elected our president.”

The Democratic Governors Association launched 15 and 30-second ads aimed at tying Virginia gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin (R) to former President Trump.

They also launched a new website, TrumpFirstVirginiaSecond.com.

Cook Political Report: “Youngkin winning is certainly encouraging good news for Republicans, but Democrats still have the recent history and ideological shift in the state on their side. We initially rated this race Likely Democrat, and for now we are keeping it there until we know officially who the Democratic nominee is after the June 8 primary.”

“While it’s McAuliffe, who was barred from running for a second consecutive term, is the obvious frontrunner, there’s a question of what Black turnout could be in November as well given the former governor is running against two African-American women candidates in former state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy and state Sen. Jennifer McClellan who are looking to make history as the first Black female governor in U.S. history. And we need to see data that we just don’t have now on how a McAuliffe vs. Youngkin race starts out.”