Twenty Democrat governors just told Trump no on a $1700 school choice tax credit.
Glenn Youngkin decided that answer wasn't good enough and built an operation to change it.
Now those same governors have a machine aimed at them built to make holding out cost something.
Empowering America's Parents Targets Twenty Governors Standing In the Way
Youngkin announced his new group, Empowering America's Parents, on August 5.
He built it around one job: get every state to opt into Trump's Education Freedom Tax Credit.
"Proud to launch Empowering America's Parents today to push every state to opt-in to the game-changing Education Freedom Tax Credit," Youngkin said.
The tax credit came out of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and takes effect in 2027.
It gives donors up to $1,700 in tax credits for funding scholarships to private and public schools.
Roughly 90 percent of American K-12 students qualify.
Thirty states have already opted in.
Twenty states have refused, and every governor who has put a name to that refusal so far is a Democrat.
Minnesota's Tim Walz, Oregon's Tina Kotek, New Mexico's Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Hawaii's Josh Green all said no outright.
Arizona's Katie Hobbs and Wisconsin's Tony Evers vetoed it.
Youngkin's group isn't being subtle about who it's targeting.
"Nothing is more important than our kids. That's why it's inexcusable that far-left governors refuse to opt in," the group said.
A Multi-Million Dollar Campaign Aimed at Battleground States
Empowering America's Parents is planning a multi-million dollar media push in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Those four states happen to double as the exact battlegrounds that decide national elections.
Teachers unions are already panicking over the plan.
Union messaging is calling the tax credit "a Trojan horse carrying near-universal K-12 private school vouchers."
Translate that from union-speak – it means parents might actually get a choice, and unions are terrified of losing their monopoly.
Youngkin didn't build this group by accident, and he didn't build it quietly.
RedState's own analysis flagged this as a possible signal of a 2028 White House run.
Youngkin was floated for Trump's VP shortlist before, and he's already made stops in South Carolina and Iowa this year.
He's also publicly backed JD Vance for 2028, calling the vice president a "great" nominee.
That's the same move Jeb Bush made with his own education foundation, and Mike Pence made with his policy group, before both ran for president.
Build the network, build the donor list, build the national profile – then decide whether to run.
Why These Governors Should Be Nervous
Youngkin's ad money is landing in Arizona and Wisconsin for a reason – those are two of the states whose governors just vetoed this tax credit.
Every parent in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Arizona can now ask a simple question: why did your governor block a tax credit for your kid's education.
There's no good answer to that question, because there isn't one.
Walz, Hobbs, and Evers can talk about equity all day.
What they're actually protecting is union dues and union endorsements, not your children.
Youngkin just built a permanent operation whose entire purpose is making that trade-off impossible to hide before the midterms.
Sources:
- "Glenn Youngkin Launches National Non-Profit To Promote Trump's Scholarship Tax Credit," The Daily Caller, August 5, 2026.
- Teri Christoph, "Former Virginia Governor Launches New Education Policy Group," RedState, August 5, 2026.
- "Youngkin backs JD Vance for 2028, calls vice president a 'great' GOP nominee," Fox News, 2026.
- "Glenn Youngkin launches national school choice movement ahead of possible 2028 presidential bid," Washington Examiner, 2026.
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