Liberty's Flame

"DemocRATZ Radical Left-Wing Vision for Virginia"

Source:	National Review
Published:	Jan 22, 2026
Author:	The Editors of National Review
Post Date:	2026-01-22 09:17:43 by Mudboy Slim
Views:	2271

Abigail Spanberger, the former congresswoman turned governor of Virginia, won office in November largely because of who she was not. In an increasingly blue state that predictably swings against the party in presidential power, she was not a Republican. Unlike her opponent in the race, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, she did not present herself as a brash culture warrior.

Under those circumstances, Spanberger needed to do little to win other than run as an uncontroversial cipher, which is exactly what she did. However much her Republican opponents criticized her for playing coy about the state Democratic party’s long-term plans, voters were in little mood to listen, rewarding Democrats with a blue wave: Not only did Spanberger win office by 15 points, but Democrats won a supermajority in the House of Delegates as well.

Now Virginia voters get to open the box and discover what kind of governor they have lurking inside. Early signs are not promising. With her opening act in office, Spanberger rescinded Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order No. 47, requiring heightened cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Perhaps such a move is obvious blue-state politics in the aftermath of Minneapolis’s massive anti-ICE protests, but it is a poor omen for the safety of Virginia residents, nonetheless. Even more worrisome are Governor Spanberger’s immediate moves to reconstitute the boards of Virginia’s state-run universities like George Mason and the University of Virginia, ousting Youngkin’s selections.

Meanwhile, Democrats are using their legislative gains to advance a bevy of radical policies. Those include pushing a constitutional amendment that would create a “fundamental right” to abortion that would pave the way for abortions in the third trimester if a physician rules it necessary for not just the life but the “mental health” of the mother; the creation of a government-run childcare program; and a return to the draconian regional effort to cap carbon emissions. They want to raise taxes and expand gun control. Additionally, they are wasting little time in reinstituting DEI. The Washington Post reported that funding for the Virginia Military Institute is under threat “as newly empowered Virginia Democrats seek to determine whether it has done enough to root out racism and sexism at the school.”

But the ultimate test will be how Spanberger reacts to the push by Virginia Democrats to redistrict the state’s congressional seats. Since October of last year, state Democrats have been pushing to place a California-style amendment to the state constitution before the voters, so that Democrats can set aside current congressional lines and redraw what currently stands as a 6-5 D/R map. Up until the moment Republican legislators in Indiana dramatically pulled back from the brink of their own redistricting proposal in December, such an attempt seemed politically inevitable. Now it will be Spanberger’s turn to either exercise restraint or escalate. But given that she has already abandoned any pretense of moderation, we have little faith she will resist the left.

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