Youngkin launches conservative group focused on school choice

Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is launching a national conservative policy group aimed at promoting a federal school choice tax credit, a move that puts him back into Republican politics as speculation continues about a possible 2028 presidential bid.

The group, Empowering America’s Parents, will begin with a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign focused on the Education Freedom Tax Credit, a federal scholarship tax credit that has been adopted in 30 states. The campaign will target the 20 states that have not opted in, including Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to people familiar with the group’s internal planning cited by CBS News and NBC News.

Those four states are led by Democratic governors and were carried by President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, CBS News reported. They are also expected to remain closely watched battlegrounds in national politics.

The Education Freedom Tax Credit, which was included in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by Trump, is scheduled to launch in January 2027. The program allows taxpayers to donate up to $1,700 to scholarship-granting organizations in participating states and receive a federal income tax credit. Supporters say the scholarships can help families pay for K-12 tuition expenses and other education services.

“Regrettably, 20 states have refused to opt-in to these scholarships,” Youngkin said in a statement announcing the group and its media campaign. “Empowering America’s Parents will recognize the strong leaders who embraced this program and aggressively call out far-left governors who won’t stand with parents and are instead playing politics.”

The group’s launch video makes a similar argument. “Nothing is more important than our kids, so who’d be against scholarships for tuition, tutoring, services for kids with disabilities, all paid for by a federal tax credit with no state dollars?” a narrator says in the 30-second video. “Not hardworking parents — but far-left governors won’t play ball.”

Critics of school choice programs have long argued that they can benefit private schools at the expense of public schools, NBC News reported.

People familiar with the group’s plans told both CBS News and NBC News that internal polling found low public awareness of the tax credit, but support for it once voters learn about the program. The advertising campaign is expected to focus on persuadable voters, especially in suburban areas, and on voters who support school choice. NBC News reported that Empowering America’s Parents also plans to focus on transparency in public education.

Youngkin’s return to the national policy arena comes after he left office in January. Virginia law bars governors from serving consecutive terms. He won the governor’s race in 2021 after making parents’ rights in education a central issue, including criticism of Democrat Terry McAuliffe over vetoes of bills that would have allowed parents to opt their children out of lessons involving books deemed sexually explicit. NBC News noted that the book at the center of that debate was “Beloved,” Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the horrors of slavery.

Youngkin has not announced his future political plans. In April, he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he has “more to give” politically, according to CBS News.

NBC News reported that his new group is likely to intensify speculation about whether he will seek the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Asked whether the organization could serve as a vehicle for Youngkin’s national ambitions, a person familiar with the planning noted that Youngkin does not appear in the launch video. “It’s a great issue for the governor,” the person said. “It’s a great accomplishment for the president.”

NBC News reported that Vice President JD Vance leads most early polls testing a potential 2028 Republican field, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis among other possible candidates.