Abigail Spanberger and the Three Little Words That Should Terrify Every Virginian

What do John Tyler, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson have in common? They are the three Virginia Governors who have gone on to become president. Just a couple of years from now, the United States could sleepwalk into adding a fourth name to the list: Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Spanberger is a choice beloved by the Left—a moderate in front of the cameras but effectively a democratic socialist—often more liberal than AOC, when voting in Congress.

Leading up to last November’s election, Spanberger presented herself as a mother and former law enforcement officer who cared deeply about affordability, the economy, and public education.

The question on every Virginian’s lips after November’s election was: How would Spanberger actually govern in practice? Would she govern for all Virginians, or would she remain a radical wrapped in moderate’s clothing?

That’s a question the Virginia Institute for Public Policy has been working to answer. Partnering with a dozen conservative organizations across the Commonwealth, we presented “Power of the Pen,” a wide-ranging book of recommendations to the governor for the veto session.

In “Power of the Pen,” we offer recommendations on which bills should be signed, which vetoed, and which amended. We try to be collegiate, asking her to take mainly actions which a moderate could reasonably take. In 2025, we gave the Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin the same test, perhaps even a little tougher. Gov. Youngkin scored 86.2%.

When Gov. Spanberger scored 32.5% this year, it was bad. It’s not the kind of result you’d expect of a moderate, with the Governor scoring 0% on energy and 0% on the Second Amendment.

Even the vast majority of the “good” actions taken by Gov. Spanberger were not taken out of political principle, but as part of internecine squabbles amongst Democrats. Collective bargaining, retail marijuana, an all-out assault on education choice—all vetoed because Democrats could not agree on how to introduce policies that would harm Virginia.

There are three little words which should strike fear at the heart of every Virginian: “To be continued.”

Nearly 450 bills, including all the worst excesses of the Democratic trifecta—such as massive sales tax increases and huge pay raises for public-sector workers—were “continued,” allowing them to be dealt with in 2027. The most politically unpopular decisions have been parked conveniently until after the all-important midterms. They can be brought back at any time.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the 2026 General Assembly session, it’s that the biggest danger is more of a jigsaw than a single, terrible bill.

The $15-per-hour (plus escalator) minimum wage will cost Virginians jobs. The new payroll tax for paid family and medical leave will make Virginians worse off, while simultaneously increasing business costs. Taxes on gasoline will rise. Every Virginian’s energy bill will skyrocket thanks to Virginia rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

I’ve been around politics long enough to know that not everything is planned. Chaos and uncertainty reign supreme; power struggles and incompetence cause delay after delay.

One of my first lessons when I was a legislator myself was that incompetence is far more common than conspiracy. In my view, arguments among Democrats are real: The Left is always blinded by competing versions of ideological purity.

The delays to 2027 were not, in my opinion, planned. But that makes them even more dangerous: After the midterms, the Democrats will have a window of opportunity to do pretty much whatever they want. If they’ve enjoyed success at the federal level, they’ll feel emboldened at the state level. If they’ve lost, they’ll double down in Virginia.

Every bill marked “continued”—and every gubernatorial veto caused by petty squabbles over wording—will be fair game at the General Assembly’s 2027 session. There is a storm coming in Virginia politics.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from 2026, it’s this: Gov. Spanberger will not be the one to stop the storm. She is not a moderate, and she never will be. But she would very much like Virginians, and all Americans, to believe that she is.

That’s her only path to the presidency.

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