By Digby A. Solomon
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Abigail Spanberger met with Williamsburg area civic and business leaders Friday to talk policy, emphasizing how Virginia is being affected by “the chaos” from the Republican occupant of the White House.
Spanberger, who represented Virginia’s 7th Congressional District but decided not to run for re-election last year in order to run for governor, said Virginians are disconcerted by the rapid pace of President Donald Trump’s changes “because it is happening haphazardly and without thought and without strategy.”
The moderate Democrat gained national attention in 2020 for chastising fellow Democrats during a private call after they lost a number of key congressional races, blaming liberal Democrats whose ideology was out of step with Americans.
She said left-wing Democrats’ support of the defund the police movement hurt her and other moderates in tight races, adding “we need to not ever use the words socialist or socialism ever again,” USA Today reported at the time.
During her breakfast meeting at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce Friday morning, Spanberger indicated Trump may now be guilty of the same overreach.
She said in mid-January Virginia voters were worried about the quality of their kids’ education, the high price of groceries, and skyrocketing costs for housing and health care. Political pundits said these concerns, along with illegal immigration, contributed to Trump’s victory last November.
But she said there has been “a seismic shift in the past three to six weeks.”
Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency created by his billionaire contributor Elon Musk have quickly shuttered departments, cut funding, furloughed government employees, and shaken the Western alliance of nations that have stood against Russia and China for three generations.
She said Virginians are losing government jobs, which in turn has cascaded down to the restaurants, real estate agencies and other businesses that serve them.
“The upheavals…in the economy are pretty substantial,” she said.
Hampton Roads has a large military and veteran footprint that could be impacted by everything from veterans’ benefits to military policy and federal job cuts.
Spanberger acknowledged a governor “can’t control what the White House does…can’t control Elon Musk.”
But she said she could provide consistent, data-based pushback through Virginia’s congressional delegation and try to build coalitions to support initiatives that will strengthen the state economy.
Spanberger said education would be a top priority for her, including teacher pay and providing extra support for struggling students so teachers could focus on education.
She said the state should better leverage the strengths of its strong university system to encourage new business and workforce growth. She also said the state could focus money on behavioral health, including long-term recovery efforts for substance abuse.
Spanberger said she supported efforts by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to limit drug prices. She said the pharmacy checkout line is where most consumers feel the greatest impact of rising medical costs. A previous attempt last year was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin has previously said such cost control measures were “noble in intent” but could limit access to medical treatment and innovation.
Spanberger alluded to Virginia’s history with slavery and segregation when asked her thoughts about next year’s 250th anniversary of the United Sates, in which the Historic Triangle played a key role.
She said all Americans should be proud of “how far we’ve come” and the strengths that drive people from around the world to want to live here. “We’ve gotten a lot wrong, but we’ve always endeavored to make things right,” she said. “There are things we can all be proud about.”