VA gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin told CNBC last March that he stepped down from The Carlyle Group (CG) in 2020 to prepare his run as a GOP (Republican) candidate to be the Governor of Virginia (VA). “I’m not a politician. I’m a homegrown Virginian and I’ve spent the last 30 years raising my family, serving in our church, building business and creating jobs. I’m guided by my faith, values, and an unshakeable belief that Virginia should be the best,” says the Youngkin campaign website. Be that as it may, the candidate’s ties to so-called predatory and controversial Carlyle Group (CG) business practices in the manufactured home community sector is causing blowback for the campaign.
Youngkin hopes to break a dozen year streak of GOP statewide office campaign losses in that state. Left-leaning Wikipedia says that no “GOP candidates to statewide office since 2009, when Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli were elected as governor and attorney general, respectively,”
CG reportedly has multiple-years of ties to the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). CG was one of the firm’s ripped by left-leaning HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver viral video errantly dubbed “Mobile Homes.” CG is one of the basket of companies tracked by MHProNews in our business daily report. The most recent report is linked here.
Per the left-of-center Associated Press (AP) and ABC News:
Pavlick’s rent surged by more than 7%. Additional increases followed. She said the unexpected jump forced her and her neighbors, many on fixed incomes and unable to relocate, to sometimes choose between food and medicine.
The 2015 acquisition and subsequent sale of Pavlick’s mobile home park is a core business practice for private equity firms such as Carlyle, which buy and restructure private companies to build value for their investors, sometimes cutting jobs and services in the process.
But the deal, one of hundreds Carlyle executed in recent years, could become a political liability for Carlyle’s former co-CEO, Glenn Youngkin, who is now running as the Republican candidate for governor in Virginia and highlighting his experience “building businesses and creating jobs.”
“They don’t realize that these are peoples’ homes. We’re not just numbers on a spreadsheet,” said Pavlick, now 74 years old. “They have no conscience.”
Beyond mobile home parks, Youngkin helped Carlyle make money for investors by targeting nursing homes, auto parts manufacturers, energy companies and even a business that produces “less-lethal” weapons used by governments that have cracked down on democracy advocates.” – all per the July 1, 2021 ABC News report.
The balance of that mainstream media report is linked here, which noted that “There are no allegations of illegality or wrongdoing…”
MHProNews has reached out for comment or reaction to those allegations, but it was late on a Sunday afternoon during the July 4, 2021 weekend.
The race is reportedly one of the most closely watched in the 2021 election cycle. Youngkin faces another wealthy former businessman, former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe has his own train of controversies. As ABC reported, “McAuliffe’s ties to big donors and lobbyists are well-established…”
For balance, Wikipedia says that “McAuliffe worked for President Jimmy Carter‘s reelection campaign, becoming the national finance director at age 22.” McAuliffe holds the normal array of left-leaning Democratic positions. Other select bullets from his wiki include:
- On May 23, 2016, it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigationwas investigating McAuliffe “over whether donations to his gubernatorial campaign violated the law.” One example cited was a $120,000 donation from Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang.
- On January 31, 2017, McAuliffe appeared with Attorney General Mark Herringto announce that Virginia was joining the lawsuit Aziz v. Trump, challenging President Donald Trump‘s immigration executive order. On March 27, 2017, McAuliffe vetoed a bill that would have prevented sanctuary cities in Virginia.
MHLivingNews previously reported on the letter sent by Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA-D) to Youngkin while he was Co-CEO at CG. That report, which included several other MHI member firms, is linked below. The letters from Senator Warren to CG and other controversial community operators are linked in the MHLivingNews report linked here and are a download from that report.
A videos with Youngkin, and two that focus on CG and other often MHI manufactured home communities, are shown below.
This is the latest national controversy involving an MHI member brand.
The negative reports are often connected with firms that get financial support from Warren Buffett connected nonprofits.
For more information, see the linked and related reports. MHProNews plans on monitoring the situation and reporting as warranted.
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By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
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