How did Republicans turn critical race theory into a winning electoral issue?

Glenn Youngkin won the race to be Virginia's governor having exploited concerns over teaching about race in schools

What is critical race theory?

Developed by the former Harvard Law professor Derrick Bell and other scholars in the 1970s and 80s, critical race theory, or CRT, examines the ways in which racism was embedded into American law and other modern institutions, maintaining the dominance of white people.