On October 15, 2018, Abigail Spanberger exploded into Virginia politics with one of the all time great debate closers against Tea-Party Republican, Dave Brat. With a visceral proclamation, she declared: “I am not Nancy Pelosi… I am not Barack Obama… Abigail Spanberger is my name!” As much as a crowd could go wild at the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce — they did. The rest is Commonwealth history.
Since then, Congresswoman Spanberger has cemented her legacy in Virginia politics, having won three congressional contests, including a redistricting battle where she faced Trump-backed favorite, Yesli Vega. With those accomplishments in the bag, she is now running to be the 75th Governor of Virginia — a task that is equal parts daunting and momentous given our perpetual state of political turbulence and zero-sum politics.
RVA Mag caught up with the Congresswoman to chat about her 2025 gubernatorial race and to dive into some of the most pressing issues making the headlines today.
Landon Shroder: Hello, Congresswoman. Its been a minute.
Congresswoman Spanberger: Its been a while. How have you been?
Landon Shroder: I’ve been good. Congratulations on your run for governor.
Congresswoman Spanberger: It’s been fun. It’s been interesting. It’s been exciting. It’s been all the things.
Landon Shroder: I know its a busy week in Congress, so let’s hop right in. You have a broad congressional portfolio consisting of national security and border issues, good governance and infrastructure. What motivated you to run for governor?
Congresswoman Spanberger: Fundamentally, my desire to run for governor is based on my desire to be effective for the Commonwealth and the people of Virginia. In many ways, I’ve brought a level of effectiveness to a slightly chaotic time in Congress. I moved back home in 2014 and when looking at the places where I can have the most impact, I believe its in Virginia — focusing on the priorities that we have.
There’s a lot of dysfunction on Capitol Hill and there’s some dysfunction in Richmond. I want to make sure that this dysfunction does not escalate and we can get things done by focusing on the issues that actually matter. Like strengthening our public schools, keeping our communities safe, lowering costs for families, and generally working to make sure we’re protecting our fundamental rights and respecting all people.
Landon Shroder: What’s your assessment of Virginia’s overall social, political, and economic health, how’re we doing and what do you see over the horizon?
Congresswoman Spanberger: I think Virginia’s facing a time of great opportunity. There’s certainly much we can be doing to strengthen our public schools. There’s much that we can be doing to focus on issues of mental and behavioral health and substance use disorder, especially facing our kids. There’s also a lot that we could be doing in the area of small and medium sized business [development] including our farms and overall economy.
A lot of people are still feeling a continued level of unease that certainly didn’t start with the pandemic, but the disruptions of the past few years have really brought to light. My goal and reason for running is to make sure that things are moving in the right direction, we need to supercharge them. And the things that might have stalled out, we need to fix them.
Landon Shroder: I saw that you recently spoke at Nova Chambers IT Modernization Event. How does Virginia plan to grow its economy in parallel with innovation and technologies, which are revolutionizing how we live and do business? What is your plan to ensure these opportunities are accessible to all Virginians?
Congresswoman Spanberger: It starts with two things: Bringing this type of investment to Virginia, and, in fact, Virginia is dominating. Of course, I’m quite biased, but Virginia is doing well in everything from AI to drone technologies. We’re in a very forward-leaning space. This includes the advancement of pharmaceutical production to a new drone testing field in my district. At a federal level, we’ve certainly made investments with the Chips and Science Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law. There is a tremendous opportunity to marry what we’ve already done at a federal level and bring that home to Virginia.
I think the second part of your question is how do we make sure that some communities are not getting left behind. We need a very clear view of what our kids learn in school and how they are preparing for a career or college, depending on the path they might choose.
When you look at what is happening in other countries, and of course, we frequently talk about the competition that exists between the United States and China, but my takeaway is not just to talk about global competition. We need investments to make sure the US is still positioned to lead the way. Let’s make sure that we are developing technologies in renewable energy, drone technology, and next-generation pharmaceutical production. We want the rest of the world to follow and pivot towards us.
Virginia is also an important testing ground for some of the precision technologies that are used in agriculture diversity. There’s tremendous work in research happening at our land grant institutions like Virginia Tech and Virginia State. We need to make sure that our education system is one that will continue to attract these types of businesses and researchers as part of that larger ecosystem.
Landon Shroder: The cost of living in Virginia is increasing. This is a nationwide problem, but rents in Virginia are up by almost 17%, median home sales by 16%, add in inflationary pressures for daily cost-of-living, college tuitions, property taxes — and people are facing really tough choices. What can we do to alleviate these costs?
Congresswoman Spanberger: I want to affirm that this is a top issue, both as a candidate for governor and as a member of Congress. Virginia does not have a clear statewide approach to affordable housing. I’m proud of the work we did in Congress to support Virginians — and people across the country during the pandemic — to help them pay rent through the financial assistance programs we enacted.
We also need to recognize that as much as we want to talk about what a great state Virginia is, we need to ensure that the supply of housing is able to meet the demand. To use a reductive term, this means cutting red tape and making sure houses can be built on time. It also means improving efficiency in the construction process and creating incentives for building in high needs areas.
Overall, there has to be a statewide strategy that takes a holistic look at the hurdles standing in the way of construction, zoning, and affordability. Also what actions have the localities taken and what actions could the state take in partnership? We have great opportunities and I want people to come to Virginia — I want people to retire in Virginia. But we have to make sure people can afford to move here, stay here, and take great jobs.
Landon Shroder: Republicans in the House of Delegates recently tabled a bill for a near-total abortion ban. There also seems to be a lot of mixed messages from the governor’s office on abortion access and reproductive health. What’s our end-game strategy to protect women’s reproductive rights in Virginia so we don’t end up like Florida or Arizona?
Congresswoman Spanberger: Just to talk about Florida and Arizona: These are places where women might be denied necessary healthcare access and can suffer fatal consequences or the loss of their fertility. This also includes D&C procedures after miscarriages or IVF complications in places like Alabama. The threat exists and this is a comprehensive problem that Virginia needs to avoid.
I have three daughters. I am a mother. I have had three healthy pregnancies, so this is deeply personal. Legislators and judges should not be dictating the [healthcare] choices of women. We need to have a constitutional amendment in the Commonwealth protecting the right to reproductive healthcare. I think it was wrong of the governor to veto legislation that would have protected doctors who provide abortion access to patients who are from out-of-state.
I also think it is wrong for the governor to essentially gut a bill that would have protected the right to contraception — IUDs and the morning after pill are also under threat, in addition to traditional contraception like condoms and birth control. This is an extreme [stance] and if left unchecked, will continue. We need a governor who is willing to sign these bills into law to protect women, healthcare providers, and contraception for men and women. And ultimately we need a constitutional amendment in place that protects these rights.
Landon Shroder: Speaking of Florida, Governor Youngkin, much like Governor DeSantis, has become involved in the national conversation on academic freedoms. In recent weeks, there have been multiple stories about the governor requesting curriculums from departments at VCU and George Mason that specifically focus on racial and social justice. What’s the role of the state when it comes to academia?
Congresswoman Spanberger: I think it is inappropriate to micromanage educational institutions and it makes me question what’s at the core of it. Is it an effort to intimidate or send a message to university professors that we have a watchful eye on you?
This started when the governor instituted the now defunct tip-line (to report professors) which quietly went away because of the backlash. We should always have great transparency, particularly with our public universities, but the motivations here are really questionable. More so, when Virginia benefits from having some of the finest public institutions in America.
Landon Shroder: Maybe in the world.
Congresswoman Spanberger: Right? If you want a small liberal arts school, we have it. We have schools close to cities, close to the countryside; we have HBCUs, land-grant universities, and a military academy at VMI. We literally have universities for everything.
Its the fact that these aggressive tactics and intimidation exists and the insinuation that there is something wrong with these institutions by calling for their curricula. I have met with students that expressed concerns, namely that public criticism of their university by board members might impact their diploma. Especially if their school is mired in controversy and not the type of education it provides.
Landon Shroder: We’ve discussed technology and emerging economies, so I’d like to talk about marijuana and emerging economies. As you know the governor vetoed the retail sale of marijuana last month, citing health and safety concerns — advocates are now saying 2027 at the earliest. What’s your stance on the economic benefits of marijuana sales and do you see any health and safety concerns?
Congresswoman Spanberger: I think there are elements of this being a health and safety issue. But it’s the role of the legislature in parallel with the governor’s office to define this in a way that can benefit public health and safety along with the economy. I’ll specify what I mean by that — currently, there are a lot of gray areas in terms of how we procure recreational marijuana within Virginia. We need a clear strategy and plan to transition Virginia into a state that has legalized retail markets that can focus on these concerns.
This also ensures that consumers are informed about what they’re purchasing with very clear dosage strengths on the labels — like beer, some are at 4% some are at 8%, and that’s a very different purchase for the consumer. We also need these stores to operate in a normal business environment. At a federal level, I’ve supported legislation that ensures dollars generated within the marijuana industry can flow through the banking system normally. This enhances public safety by enabling retail operators to process payments like any normal business.
We also need to make sure that [tax] revenues flow into Virginia and are used to strengthen our communities and public schools. This involves building a fair retail market that would give genuine opportunities to entrepreneurs, farmers, and communities — across the board. I don’t know that I would call this an emerging market but we need a formalized, legal, emerging cannabis market.
Landon Shroder: We’ve already covered a lot of territory, but what do you think the single biggest issue is to everyday Virginians in the Commonwealth right now? I know that’s a big question.
Congresswoman Spanberger: It varies day by day, person by person. What does that come down to? For some, it’s about the future of their kids, their education, and safety at school—which is also a gun safety issue. Others focus on entering the workforce and affording college. Or it’s about being an independent person and whether someone will try to restrict their rights, such as abortion access. Then there are day-to-day concerns like groceries, mortgage rates, rent, and daycare. So it’s overarching, based on the experiences of everyday Virginians.
But the issues that consistently come up are safety, affordability, education, and our basic rights.
Landon Shroder: Last question, since we’re running up against time. Virginia has leaned solidly Democratic for the past fifteen years. Why do you think the last election swung Republican? Are there any lessons learned you’re following from the last governor’s contest?
Congresswoman Spanberger: I would argue the premise slightly, because I think we’re a purple state. We’re not such a blue state, right? It wasn’t too long ago that we had Governor McDonnell, followed by two Democrats and now a Republican — so we volleyed back and forth.
Ultimately, it becomes a question of who’s talking about the issues that matter and who’s talking to the voters themselves. The lessons I’ve learned from my own elections can be attributed to many things. I’m there and I campaign a lot. I meet a lot of people, whether they agree with me or not and I speak to the issues that matter — this includes issues that might not seem traditionally democratic like agriculture and public safety.
I also think we’ve had a series of years where people are tired of the acrimony. They’re tired of the changes facing the world from a very holistic perspective. A lot of people I hear from say they don’t watch the news or engage anymore, so making the political process digestible is just as important as anything else, particularly right now.
Landon Shroder: Congresswoman, thanks for taking the time to speak with us and all the best on your campaign and I hope to speak again soon.
Congresswoman Spanberger: I look forward to connecting again, and also look forward to passing this bill this weekend (foreign aid bill).
Landon Shroder: Good luck!
