Spanberger charts moderate course in first Virginia session
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Facing tepid popularity and Republican attacks, Gov. Abigail Spanberger is starting to stake out a more centrist path in Virginia.
Why it matters: In her first legislative session, Spanberger's actions on over 1,000 bills Monday night show she's diving into the details — and willing to break with her own party.
The big picture: Spanberger signed sweeping laws on minimum wage, guns and health care while vetoing two high-profile gambling measures and a slate of bills she said would weaken public safety, limit prosecutors and add new costs for Virginia.
- She also amended bills to delay recreational weed sales and union support measures and tighten paid sick leave rules. More on that here
Between the lines: As Republicans label her a radical leftist, the former CIA officer's decisions so far suggest she's:
- More moderate on criminal justice than some Democrats
- Cautious on major changes to weed policy (favoring a slower, more regulated rollout) and immigration enforcement (setting limits for, but not cutting off, ICE).
- Skeptical of expanding gambling without tighter oversight
By the numbers: Spanberger has vetoed eight bills and proposed changes to at least 180 — more than her most recent Democratic predecessor.
- In his first year with full Democratic control, former Gov. Ralph Northam vetoed four bills and amended about 100.
The intrigue: "A governor would typically not micromanage within party legislative measures that passed," Mark Rozell, a political scientist at George Mason University, told Axios.
What some of the bills she signed will do:
💰 Raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2028.
🚜 Extend minimum wage to farmworkers, starting January 2027.
🏥 Crack down on prescription drug middlemen to make pricing more transparent.
💊 Guarantee the right to birth control.
🏠 Establish the Eviction Reduction Program and give localities a way to keep affordable housing affordable for at least 15 years.
🏛️ End tax exemptions for Confederacy-related organizations, including the Richmond-based United Daughters of the Confederacy.
🚗 Ban car insurers from using credit scores to set rates or deny coverage.
👀 Rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which caps carbon emissions from power plants.
🛠️ Push utilities like Dominion to consider cheaper grid fixes to limit the burden on customers.
🚧 Add new rules for where data centers can be built, require studies on impacts to nearby homes and mandate monthly water usage reports (starting next year).
🔫 Ban "ghost guns" that can't be detected by security scanners.
🚨 Give teachers and staff wearable panic buttons that alert 911 in an emergency.
What she vetoed:
🎰 A Fairfax casino referendum and a bill to legalize so-called skill games statewide, citing concerns about oversight and regulation.
🚔 A bill limiting felony charges for drug residue possession, saying it'd restrict prosecutors and reduce access to treatment programs.
👨⚖️ Legislation restricting plea agreements by banning Fourth Amendment waivers, saying it'd limit negotiation options.
Axios' Cuneyt Dil contributed.