Indeed it is, and Virginians may find themselves surprised to find out that Democrats did just that. Governor Glenn Youngkin declared that change to be a “ludicrous” outsourcing of Virginia’s self-governance to California, and vowed last night to Tucker Carlson to reverse it.

“What Virginians and Americans are worried about is inflation, and schools, a solid education, parents being listened to and safety in their communities,” Youngkin argued, not forcing themselves to comply with regulations pushed by Gavin Newsom and the extreme-progressive California legislature (via Townhall):

Gov. Glenn Youngkin talks about pushing to reverse a law that would see gas vehicles phased out in Virginia:

"We find ourselves today with this ludicrous law that Virginia has to follow California's laws, and so we're going to go to work and stop this." pic.twitter.com/0Cy2hjKLPb

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 31, 2022

“We’re going to go to work and stop this because Virginians should be making decisions for Virginians,” Youngkin said, claiming that most residents were not aware of what Northam signed.

“Little did they know that they had signed legislation and tied Virginia to decisions that will be made in California, so not only did they pick a state that has demonstrated it has no idea how to run itself, but they abdicated their responsibility to serve Virginians,” he added.

Given that only 2 percent of cars sold in the commonwealth last year were electric, Youngkin said it’s “just ridiculous” to believe the state will phase new gas cars out completely by 2035.

“What Virginians and Americans are worried about is inflation, and schools, a solid education, parents being listened to and safety in their communities,” he continued. “Yet, here we have this Virginia legislature under Democrat rule last year forget that they work for Virginians and tie them to California. So this is a chance to reestablish Virginians making decisions for Virginians based on leaders they elect.”

First off, is Youngkin correct? It certainly seems so. In February 2021, the Democrat-controlled legislature passed HB1965, which added a provision to Virginia’s authorizing statute for its State Air Pollution Control Board that allows that agency to synchronize state policy by “enter[ing] into agreements with, other states to administer the requirements of any regulations adopted pursuant to this section.” If the APCD did indeed synch its policies to California, then they did cede Virginia’s ability to set its policies directly on its own.

It’s bad enough that the Democrats’ own Virginia establishment tried dictating terms to parents, for example, when it came to their children’s education. Youngkin won a surprise victory in last year’s elections based on the populist revolt against radical ideological indoctrination. But outsourcing those diktats — and to California? Republicans will have a field day with this in Virginia, and Democrats deserve everything they get over it.

And this will only enhance Youngkin’s stature inside Virginia, where it has already soared after less than a year on the job. Not only do a majority of blue-state Virginia voters approve of his job performance, a new Roanoke poll shows that they like Youngkin personally too:

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s approval rating has increased slightly to 55% (from 53% in May) while disapproval remains at 35%. That slight increase comes from Republican sentiment, as approval among his own party is now at 86%, up from 75% in June. Approval for President Biden has increased slightly as well, up to 39% from an all-time low Roanoke College Poll rating of 37% in June.  

For the first time in our poll, a majority (51%) of Virginias have a favorable view of Governor Youngkin, while 37% continue to have an unfavorable view. Again, that increase comes mostly from Republican feelings, but his rating is up slightly among Democrats and Independents as well.

Youngkin has quietly built up a formidable political position in an unlikely state. How has he managed it? Mainly by threading a needle between the populist promises he made in 2021 and the necessity of hewing to the center on other issues. Youngkin quickly took abortion off the table, for instance, in the same manner that Ron DeSantis did in Florida — seizing the center position of abortion access prior to viability for adults with significant restrictions rather than an outright ban. Neither man will win much praise from absolutists on either side of the issue, but it bolstered the credibility of both while protecting fellow Republicans from attacks, plus it took the wind out of the sails of Democrats hoping to use abortion as a midterm game-changer.

Youngkin may in fact be doing the same thing DeSantis is, in a quieter fashion — laying out a case for the 2024 presidential nomination. Given his performance thus far, it may be a case for Republican primary voters to take seriously.