Several receptions were held before the inauguration at the Richmond State Capitol. Some of these events include a prayer breakfast, a dinner at the Virginia Museum of Science and a women’s tea party hosted by incoming Virginia First Lady Suzanne Yankin. Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony, there will be a parade through which participants will pass through Congress Square.

“The theme of Inaugural Weekend is celebrating the spirit of Virginia — one associated with a rich history, but the future is even more exciting as Virginians come together to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Elected said the governor and incoming first lady.

His predecessor, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, declared a state of emergency on Friday, with a storm expected to hit the state this weekend. Youngkin spokesman Macaulay Porter said the governor-elect received a briefing from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management “and is actively coordinating with them regarding the upcoming weather.”

Youngkin faces a number of other immediate challenges after being sworn in, including steering the state through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and figuring out how best to ease record inflation. He plans to move forward with a slew of pandemic-related executive actions, including repealing vaccine mandates for state workers and Northam’s mandate for masks. The Virginia Department of Health currently requires masks in K-12 schools and public transportation.

During the campaign, the 55-year-old executed his “Day 1” game plan, which included promises such as scrapping Virginia’s grocery tax, firing the parole board and creating new charter schools.

Youngkin’s first round of executive action includes repealing the mask and vaccine regulations.

“We’re going to take politics out of the classroom…we’re going to teach all of our history, good and bad,” Youngkin also echoed his executive action on critical race theory in a Virginia class.

“There’s no place in our school system for critical race theory, which is why, on day one, I’m banning it,” Youngkin said in an interview with Fox News during the final days of his campaign last fall.

These are one of nine executive orders and two executive orders signed by Youngkin on Saturday, according to the press release.

Over the past few weeks, the elected governor has been announcing key roles in his administration. The most high-profile picks include Andrew Wheeler, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the Trump administration, as secretary of natural resources. Wheeler has been boycotted by Virginia Democrats.

Youngkin’s victory in November marked a dramatic turn in the fortunes of Virginia Republicans, just a year after President Joe Biden won the state by 10 percentage points. The party will now control the governor’s mansion, the lieutenant governor’s office, the attorney general’s office and the House of Representatives.

Republicans across the country may try to replicate his campaign strategy of gently alienating Trump in the 2022 midterm elections. In November, he was praised at the Republican Governors Association meeting for his ability to win a highly Democratic state by focusing on education and public safety. Republicans are defending 20 gubernatorial jobs this year and want progress in blue states.