Apr 27, 2026
Watch Spanberger's full speech during the press conference in the video player above. RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) reflected on her first 100 days in office Monday morning, highlighting early legislative wins and her focus on continuing to build a more affordable Virginia. D uring a press conference on Monday, April 27, Spanberger marked the milestone in front of reporters and highlighted her "Affordable Virginia Agenda" -- a package of bills to address high housing, health care and energy costs. The plan, announced in December by the governor and General Assembly, went into law with bipartisan support. Since taking office on Saturday, Jan. 17, Spanberger has signed bipartisan legislation to lower costs for families and announced more than $4.7 billion in new business investment, creating more than 3,000 new jobs across the commonwealth. PREVIOUS: Spanberger signs Momnibus legislation to improve Virginia maternal health care Focus on affordable Virginia "Since day one, my administration has been focused on hitting the ground running to make the commonwealth more affordable for Virginia families," she said. "We've been focused on making Virginia a great place to do business while we get all that all done." She added that her administration issued executive orders to cut costs across government agencies and appointed cabinet secretariats focused on leading state departments. The administration has also launched a series of emergency preparedness summits across the commonwealth through the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Spanberger also mentioned she is scheduled to attend several workforce development events in Roanoke. Redistricting ruling During a question-and-answer period, Spanberger addressed Tuesday's redistricting ruling after a Tazewell County Circuit Court judge blocked a voter-approved proposal to change how legislative maps are drawn. While acknowledging the separation of powers and the role of the courts, Spanberger noted that more than three million Virginians participated in the referendum. "As the court continues to weigh the discussions this morning, my hope is that the court will recognize just how seriously and how valid more than three million Virginians knew that election to be," Spanberger said. Earlier that Monday morning, the Supreme Court of Virginia heard oral arguments from both sides. The main issue the court was focused on was an intervening election, with justices questioning whether Virginia Democrats' passed the referendum too close to the 2025 election. Spanberger previously voted "yes" herself on the proposal and also became the face of an advertisement launched by the YES Campaign, in which she urged voters to vote “yes” on the referendum. ALL COVERAGE: Virginia Democrats’ Congressional Redistricting Proposal Bills with amendments under review, Spanberger says Spanberger also said her administration is reviewing legislation returned to her desk with amendments "Before it was, 'how would I optimization or clarity?' and now it's 'where the bill is right now and how we move forward?'" she said. She specifically pointed to legislation involving the State Corporation Commission, saying the state must have a balance between keeping costs down for Virginians and supporting large-scale infrastructure upgrades. The governor also addressed rising energy costs and Dominion Energy's role, calling her ongoing discussions with representatives as "productive." Spanberger unveils Virginia’s new tourism plan to drive economic impact She added that Virginia is working with other states in the PJM regional grid to address concerns that energy generation is not keeping up with demand. Spanberger further commented on the commonwealth's ongoing budget issues, noting that recent federal law changes are expected to have significant impacts on Virginia. "Virginia cannot make up the loss in federal funds that we will see because of HR1 or that we are seeing because of the decision not to continue with ACA support, but Virginia has to be aggressive in how we contend with those impacts," she said. ...read more read less
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