Glenn Youngkin vows to ban critical race theory if elected Virginia governor

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Washington Examiner editor-in-chief Hugo Gurdon says perceptions of which party is 'on the side of the little guy' is shifting.

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin said Saturday that if he is elected the commonwealth's next governor he will "ban" the teaching of critical race theory on his first day in office.

Youngkin's remarks came as he spoke about educational improvements he would implement in the state should he be elected.

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"We all know education starts with curriculum," Youngkin told his supporters at a rally on Saturday. "We will teach all history, the good and the bad."

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gestures as he talks with supporters during a rally in Culpeper, Oct. 13, 2021. Youngkin faces former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the November election.  (Associated Press )

"America has fabulous chapters and it's the greatest country in the world, but we also have some abhorrent chapters in our history, we must teach them," Youngkin added, saying that under his administration, children will not be taught "to view everything through a lens of race."

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"We know in our hearts it's wrong," Youngkin said. "Dr. Martin Luther King implored us to judge one another based on the content of our character and not the color of our skin. Therefore, on day one, I will ban critical race theory in our schools."

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin participates in a debate with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe at Northern Virginia Community College, in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (Associated Press)

A Fox News Poll from earlier this month found that a strong majority of Virginia parents said they should tell schools what to teach their children, amid high-profile controversies over transgender policies and critical race theory in the state's schools.

Opponents of the academic doctrine known as critical race theory protest outside the Loudoun County School Board headquarters, in Ashburn, Virginia, June 22, 2021.  (Reuters)

The education debate has reached a fever pitch in Northern Virginia where parents have turned out in droves to express concerns about COVID-19 policies, transgender policies, and critical race theory, a framework which involves deconstructing aspects of society to discover "systemic racism" beneath the surface. Some parents have called CRT divisive, claiming it encourages White students to view themselves as oppressors.

Fox News' Tyler O'Neil contributed to this story.