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\n Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the Democratic response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026 in Williamsburg, Virginia. (Photo by Mike Kropf\/Getty Images)(Getty Images\/Mike Kropf)<\/p>\n
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\n Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the Democratic response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026 in Williamsburg, Virginia. (Photo by Mike Kropf\/Getty Images)(Getty Images\/Mike Kropf)<\/p>\n
Abigail Spanberger took\u00a0the oath of office<\/a>\u00a0on the steps of Virginia\u2019s state Capitol six months ago Friday, becoming the state\u2019s first woman elected governor\u00a0after winning<\/a>\u00a0by the largest margin for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in more than six decades.<\/p>\n She entered office promising to lower costs through her\u00a0Affordable Virginia\u00a0<\/a>agenda. But a new poll suggests many Virginians remain unconvinced, with inflation, housing costs and an unpredictable economic forecast still topping voters\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n Spanberger addressed those concerns Thursday during an interview with reporters in the cabinet room at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond\u2019s Capitol Square, defending her administration\u2019s record to date while acknowledging that the impact of many of her biggest initiatives will take time to manifest.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Virginia Commonwealth University survey<\/a>, released Wednesday, found 44% of registered voters approved of Spanberger\u2019s job performance, while 47% disapproved. Inflation and the cost of living ranked as voters\u2019 biggest worries.<\/p>\n Spanberger said she was not surprised by the findings, noting that the polls before last year\u2019s election also suggested a much closer race than her eventual 15-point victory. Polls can provide a snapshot in time, she said, but she did not need survey results to know affordability remained top of mind for Virginians.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not need a poll to know that would be what people would be talking about,\u201d Spanberger said.<\/p>\n The governor also tied the poll results to the nation\u2019s starkly divided political climate, accusing President Donald Trump and his administration of \u201cconstantly\u201d picking fights as a political strategy. Spanberger said she has not spoken directly with Trump since taking office.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, tragically, we do continue to live in times that are either polarized or where a narrative of polarization continues to be pushed,\u201d she said, adding that the tension shapes how people view politics, elected officials and issues that concern them.<\/p>\n Affordability still tops the list<\/p>\n Spanberger emphasized that the laws passed during her first six months reflect her administration\u2019s focus on affordability, although many of them will take time to reach families.<\/p>\n She pointed to\u00a0a $35 cap<\/a>\u00a0on out-of-pocket insulin costs, expanded\u00a0renter protections<\/a>\u00a0and other measures aimed at lowering healthcare, housing and energy costs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re someone who relies on insulin, there\u2019s going to be a huge impact on you right away,\u201d Spanberger said. \u201cIf you\u2019re someone who struggled to try and get your healthcare needs addressed, because you\u2019ve got to go to pre-authorization after pre-authorization, you\u2019ll feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n She also pointed to a new law requiring landlords to give tenants 14 days\u2019 notice before pursuing an eviction instead of five.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re someone who\u2019s kind of always teetering on potential eviction, you\u2019ll feel it real quick when you have just a little bit more breathing room to be able to kind of steady yourself and pay your rent,\u201d Spanberger said.<\/p>\n Other priorities, including efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, will take longer to produce results, she admitted.<\/p>\n Spanberger also cited the state budget\u00a0approved last month<\/a>, pointing to additional funding for public schools, childcare and higher education, along with more than $5 billion in announced business investment and more than 3,000 new jobs since January.<\/p>\n She also noted Virginia\u00a0climbed to third<\/a>\u00a0in CNBC\u2019s annual ranking of America\u2019s Top States for Business. The state fell to fourth place on the list last year.<\/p>\n The budget also created a new\u00a0energy consumption tax<\/a>\u00a0on data centers that lawmakers project will generate about $600 million annually. The issue surfaced in this week\u2019s VCU poll, with 81% of respondents saying they support additional fees on data centers to help offset demands on the electric grid.<\/p>\n Spanberger said the next step is making sure Virginians see how those policies affect their everyday lives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe priority needs to be on our administration and, frankly, the members of the General Assembly who passed all these bills to be connecting the dots,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Court fights over new laws continue<\/p>\n Spanberger also defended two new laws that remain tied up in court: Virginia\u2019s ban on certain assault-style firearms<\/a>\u00a0and large-capacity magazines, and a law generally prohibiting law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.<\/p>\n She said constitutional questions were part of her review of every bill that reached her desk and noted she declined to sign some legislation because of those concerns.<\/p>\n The mask law applies to local, state and federal law enforcement officers, with exceptions for undercover assignments, health precautions and other circumstances. A federal judge\u00a0blocked the law<\/a>\u00a0just hours before it was set to take effect, finding the U.S. Justice Department was likely to succeed in arguing Virginia cannot regulate federal officers that way.<\/p>\n Spanberger said officers who conceal their identities can erode public trust.<\/p>\n \u201cThis sort of theatrical policing, like we\u2019ve seen in some other states with the use of masks or facial coverings, is an expectation that law enforcement in Virginia \u2014 local, state and federal \u2014 not pursue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Spanberger said she expected the law to face legal challenges but remains convinced restrictions on assault-style firearms and magazine capacity will save lives.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate that they\u2019re choosing to sue the Commonwealth of Virginia,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we will continue to defend it because ultimately the law is about saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that while the state would rather not spend money defending its laws in court, litigation is part of the legislative process.<\/p>\n Redistricting remains in rearview<\/p>\n Asked about Democrats\u2019 unsuccessful mid-decade redistricting effort, Spanberger said she does not view it as a mistake.<\/p>\n Virginia voters\u00a0narrowly approved<\/a>\u00a0a constitutional amendment in April that would have allowed the General Assembly to redraw the state\u2019s congressional map before the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n The Supreme Court of Virginia later\u00a0struck it down<\/a>\u00a0in a 4-3 ruling, finding lawmakers had failed to follow the constitutional amendment process. The U.S. Supreme Court\u00a0declined to intervene<\/a>, leaving the current congressional map in place.<\/p>\n Spanberger said the court\u2019s decision should not be confused with a rejection by voters, noting that a majority backed the amendment. She also argued Democrats do not need new district lines to gain new seats this fall.<\/p>\n She pointed out that she carried the territory currently represented by Republican U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans during last year\u2019s statewide election. She also cited stronger Democratic performances in districts represented by U.S. Reps. John McGuire, R-Goochland, and Ben Cline, R-Botetourt.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe we will win, but there\u2019s been new challenges created for the candidates who have been working hard, who now have a primary coming up in August later than our typical June,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Virginia\u2019s congressional primary was postponed until Aug. 4 ahead of the referendum. Spanberger said Democrats now need to focus on winning under the map that will actually be used this fall.<\/p>\n Asked which Republican-held seats Democrats could flip, she named the districts represented by Wittman, Kiggans, McGuire and Cline.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 9th is always more difficult,\u201d she said of the district held by U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.<\/p>\n Spanberger declined to say whether Democrats should pursue another redistricting effort before the 2028 election, saying the political landscape could look very different by then.<\/p>\n In the meantime, she said she hopes Democrats gain enough seats this fall to \u201cbe a check on a lawless presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But a new poll suggests many Virginians remain unconvinced, with inflation, housing costs and an unpredictable economic forecast…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770579,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101],"class_list":["post-770578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}