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- Donald Trump has taken credit for Glenn Youngkin's win in Virginia's gubernatorial race.
- Trump said Youngkin "would not have been close to winning" if not for "MAGA voters."
- The former president also thanked his "base" for "coming out in force" to vote for Youngkin.
Former President Donald Trump has taken credit for Glenn Youngkin winning the neck-and-neck gubernatorial race in Virginia, releasing a statement on Tuesday night thanking "MAGA voters" for showing up to the polls.
"I would like to thank my BASE for coming out in force and voting for Glenn Youngkin. Without you, he would not have been close to winning. The MAGA movement is bigger and stronger than ever before," Trump wrote in a statement posted on Twitter by his spokeswoman, Liz Harrington.
"Glenn will be a great governor. Thank you to the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia and, most particularly, to our incredible MAGA voters!" Trump added.
Youngkin, a former private equity executive and the Republican candidate for governor, defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe on November 2, per Insider and Decision Desk HQ.
Trump released a separate statement via Harrington a day before Virginia went to the polls, denying rumors of a rift between him and Youngkin and blaming "perverts" and the "fake news media" for creating that impression.
Youngkin, however, did not campaign with Trump. The former president endorsed Youngkin but stayed away from the campaign trail save for calling in to an election-eve telerally that Youngkin did not attend.
At press time, McAuliffe had not conceded defeat, tweeting: "Folks, not everything is counted and we're still waiting for a lot of votes to come in. And we want to ensure every Virginians' voice is heard."