Spanberger: “What I’m Hearing Most Fundamentally Is, ‘Why Don’t We Have a Governor Who Recognizes How Disruptive This Is?’”

RICHMOND, Va. — In RVA Mag, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger “doesn’t sidestep the moment” as she shares the worries brought on by the Trump Administration’s cuts and chaos that Virginians across the Commonwealth are sharing with her.

During the interview, Spanberger “talks candidly about the fear, anxiety, and frustration she’s hearing on the campaign trail: retirees watching their savings spiral, local businesses paralyzed, scientists losing research grants, and federal workers demonized for political theatre while the real issues go unchallenged.”

At this moment — and throughout the months since the Trump Administration first launched its attacks on the federal workforce and Virginia’s economy, Spanberger is “also not shy about calling out Governor Youngkin’s silence or Earle-Sears’ alignment with a federal agenda that feels increasingly unhinged.”

“[T]he chaos coming from Washington isn’t abstract—it’s unprecedented, chaotic, and deeply personal to millions of Virginians,” writes RVA Mag’s Landon Shroder.

Click here to read Spanberger’s full interview in RVA Mag, and below is an excerpt of the conversation.

—

Landon Shroder: What are you hearing on the campaign trail? How are Virginians assessing this moment as you travel the Commonwealth?

Spanberger: Wherever I go, there’s a deep and pervasive worry and anxiety, which shifts slightly depending on where I am. Frankly, even over the last two weeks—with the ratcheting up of animosities against Canada—that became a centerpiece of discussion. Canada is a major trading partner for Virginia, particularly for our agricultural sector. Then a few days later, it’s ratcheting up economic hostilities with the entire world.

I’m hearing from retirees who live on their savings, and they’re worried that there won’t be enough time for their savings to recover. Then I was with a group of building trades folks who were talking about economic instability and what this means for future development. Especially when there’s this overall feeling of chaos and worry—do they pull back or will they continue to build large commercial infrastructure at scale?

And then there’s the landscape where people just want to talk about the basics, right? Their kids, education, and housing affordability.

Landon Shroder: That was going to be my next question.

Spanberger: It’s not like these things have gone away. They are still the central issues people care about, but now we’re on this roller coaster where there is constant confusion. And they just want it to be over.

Landon Shroder: Two of your signature issues are economic growth and affordability, which everyone is on board with. How do we optimize those opportunities in the age of Trump tariffs?

Spanberger: This becomes a question of what we expect out of our governor. When you come from a state like Virginia, where there are 320,000 federal employees—if there’s a reduction in the federal workforce, we lose billions of dollars in economic output.

How is it possible that we don’t have a governor ringing the alarm bells about what this means for our state? That’s actually what I’m hearing from most people. People recognize the uncertainty stemming from the cuts the administration is making. At a minimum, we need a governor who recognizes this—and even if they are aligned with this president, they need to defend Virginians.

It’s also important to remember that these cuts aren’t just about Northern Virginia or civilian Department of Defense contractors in Hampton Roads. It’s Department of Agriculture employees throughout the entire state. It’s veterans who can’t get an appointment to manage their care. So it’s the ripple effect, and it is really significant. Whether it’s government, business, or industry—everything is taking place in this landscape of chaos. And what I’m hearing most fundamentally is, ‘Why don’t we have a governor who recognizes how disruptive this is?’

—

BACKGROUND

Spanberger served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 2019 to January 2025. Before Congress, Spanberger served as a federal law enforcement officer — working narcotics and money laundering cases. She then served as a CIA case officer — working on counterterrorism and nuclear counterproliferation cases. She and her husband Adam are the proud parents of three school-aged daughters in Virginia public schools.

Abigail Spanberger announced her campaign to serve as the 75th Governor of Virginia in November 2023.

###