Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin: “Tour with a prayer surrounded by family, friends, and supporters at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial. This is no longer a campaign – it is a movement.” Photo by Glenn Youngkin campaign.

Most of the media attention in the Virginia elections has been on Trump and his influence. The Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe tried unsuccessfully to tag his opponent Glenn Youngkin as a Trumper.

However, under the surface of politics, there was a deeper spiritual culture and social network that connected the top three candidates in Virginia. This characteristic made the GOP effort in Virginia more winsome (indeed, that is the first name of Winsome Sears, the next Lieutenant Governor.)

So, there are some interesting things to learn about the Glenn Youngkin campaign for governor of Virginia. And to ask, are there any applications in New York politics? In particular, we can see a hint of why Youngkin appears to have done a lot better among Latinos, African Americans, and women.

Youngkin goes to an evangelical Episcopal church Holy Trinity Church and provides a retreat center for FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians in Universities & Schools), an evangelical outreach to prep school students. In UK Youngkin served on the executive committee of Holy Trinity Brompton (the home church of the Alpha course).

The GOP Lt Governor-elect Winsome Sears is an African American who headed a homeless ministry for the Salvation Army (as well as being vice president of the Board of Education for Virginia, an elected official, and a Marine).

Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares is a Latino Christian, a member of Galilee Episcopal Church, an evangelical leaning Episcopal church.

There are many aspects to this surprising win for the GOP. Some will point, correctly, to the typical pushback by voters against the President’s party after a year in office. Others will focus on the controversy over Critical Race Theory, the economy, and McAuliffe’s gaffes, and Youngkin’s deft campaign. But underneath, I wonder. did the deep connections to the people in the pews and the balance and gentleness of the Spirit play a role?

Or as Youngkin put it with a bit of hyperbole and spiritualized metaphor in his speech last night: “A campaign that came from nowhere. But we were joined by neighbors and friends of all races, of all religions, of all ages, of all political ideologies, and it turned into a movement. This stopped being a campaign long ago. This is the spirit of Virginia coming together like never before.”