Democrat Spanberger sworn in as Virginia's first female governor

María Paula Mijares Torres, Bloomberg News on Jan 17, 2026

Published in Women

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WASHINGTON — Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on Saturday, becoming the state’s first female leader.

Spanberger, 46, was elected with 58% of the vote in last year’s gubernatorial election, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. She succeeds GOP’s Glenn Youngkin, who couldn’t run again because of state laws barring governors from serving back-to-back terms.

Running as a pragmatic Democrat, the former U.S. congresswoman primarily campaigned on economic issues. She argued that President Donald Trump’s policies, such as tariffs and federal government cuts, have caused more uncertainty for her state — a message that her party will likely repeat in the months leading up to the midterm elections in November.

“I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington,” Spanberger said during her inauguration speech Saturday. “You are worried about policies that are hurting our communities, cutting health care access, imperiling rural hospitals and driving up costs. You are worried about Washington’s policies that are closing off markets, hurting innovation and private industry, and attacking those who have devoted their lives to public service.”

Spanberger’s win may further boost her party’s chances to pick up more U.S. House seats. Democratic lawmakers in the state legislature seek to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts so that the party can flip three or more House seats, echoing similar efforts in California and countering similar moves by Republican-controlled states such as Missouri, North Carolina and Texas.

“The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me,” Spanberger said Saturday while dressed in all white — a color predominantly linked to the U.S. suffragist movement.

“I maintain an abiding sense of gratitude to those who work generation after generation to ensure women could be among those casting ballots but who could only dream of a day like today,” she said. “I stand before those who made it possible for a woman to also participate in that peaceful transfer of power and take that oath.”

Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, who was elected as New Jersey’s governor last year, bring the number of women U.S. governors to 14, matching a previous record briefly set in January 2025.