Glenn Youngkin is the toast of the Republican Party. His upset victory in the Virginia gubernatorial election a year after President Biden won the state is going to be used as a model for future GOP candidates, sometimes to excess.
One thing is clear: Youngkin navigated the question of Donald Trump skillfully. He proved that a Republican candidate's choices aren't limited to emulating Liz Cheney or Matt Gaetz. You can give a couple of mildly pro-Trump quotes, even at the risk of giving the Democrats bulletin-board material (the couple things Youngkin did say along these lines were used by Democrat Terry McAuliffe in countless campaign ads). If a Republican does not appear to voters to be particularly Trumpy, talking about Trump instead of local issues or concerns with the current administration will not work.
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It's also going to be the case that a large number of Republicans will win in red states during the midterm elections after embracing Trump during their campaigns. Many people will conclude this strategy will work better than what Youngkin did this year. Republicans such as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker got elected in states far bluer than Virginia, yet nobody views them as a model for the national party. Some might conclude that Josh Mandel or J.D. Vance are good models for the GOP if they prevail in the former swing state of Ohio.
The midterm elections give quality Republican candidates the freedom to punt on Trump. The presidential race likely won't.
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