Abigail Spanberger made history Saturday as Virginia’s first female governor, taking the oath beneath a cold drizzle on the state Capitol steps and immediately signaling a sharp policy break from both her Republican predecessor and the Trump White House.
At a Glance
- Spanberger becomes Virginia’s 75th governor and first woman to hold the office since 1776
- New Democratic lieutenant governor Ghazala F. Hashmi is the first Muslim woman elected statewide in the U.S.
- Jay Jones sworn in as Virginia’s first Black attorney general in former Confederate capital
- Why it matters: Democrats now control every lever of Virginia government while a Republican president occupies the White House next door, setting up high-stakes policy clashes on immigration, health care and civil service protections.
Spanberger, who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in November, used her inaugural address to promise a protective stance toward Virginia’s economy and institutions against what she called “recklessness coming out of Washington.”
“The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me,” she told the crowd. “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.”
The new governor wore all white-a nod to suffrage activists-and a gold pin reading “One country. One destiny.” as she took the oath. Protocol guides specify morning coats for men and dark suits for women at inaugurations; Spanberger’s husband adhered to the morning-coat tradition while she broke new ground with the color choice.
Within minutes of the ceremony, Spanberger signed 10 executive orders, the first of which rescinds outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s directive ordering state law-enforcement and corrections personnel to assist federal immigration authorities.
“Local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws,” she said while flanked by Hashmi and Jones.
Hashmi, a former community college professor, placed her hand on a Quran as she was sworn in. Jones, an attorney and descendant of enslaved Virginians, took his oath in Richmond-once the capital of the Confederacy.
Prominent Democrats attended to showcase party momentum after devastating 2024 losses. New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin and Adam Schiff sat in the front rows. Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, who at 95 celebrated his birthday by watching the ceremony, received a personal tribute from Spanberger.
“On these steps, Virginia inaugurated our 66th governor and our nation’s first elected African American governor,” she said. “Gov. L. Douglas Wilder changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible.”
Democratic legislators, who picked up 13 House of Delegates seats last year, have pledged to move quickly on redrawing congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. Party leaders call the map revision central to protecting recent gains and countering national Republican momentum.
Spanberger’s campaign focused on shielding Virginia from White House efforts to shrink the federal workforce, policies she argues threaten rural hospitals and raise consumer costs. Without naming Trump, she warned that federal actions are “hurting our communities, cutting health care access, imperiling rural hospitals and driving up costs.”
Republicans, now entirely out of power in Richmond for the first time since 2021, criticize the new administration’s early moves as partisan overreach. GOP lawmakers particularly object to the immigration-order reversal, arguing cooperation with federal agents enhances public safety.
Virginia’s 75 governorships have, until Saturday, been an unbroken chain of men dating to the founding of the commonwealth. Colonial records list no female governors prior to 1776, making Spanberger’s ascension a 246-year first.
Staffers say the governor-elect requested the traditional salutation “Madam Governor” or the more formal “her excellency” be used in correspondence and introductions. Protocol manuals distributed to state employees already reflect the change.
Incoming administration officials, speaking on background, say additional executive orders will roll out over the next week addressing reproductive rights, voting access and environmental regulations-areas where Democrats believe they can counteract federal shifts.
The inauguration drew several thousand spectators despite chilly rain. Capitol Police closed surrounding streets at dawn, and security fencing ringed the grounds, measures officials said were precautionary rather than in response to specific threats.
Key takeaways:
- Virginia joins a handful of states with Democratic trifectas positioned to challenge Trump-era federal policies
- Historic diversity marks the new executive team, reflecting demographic trends in suburban swing regions that delivered Democratic victories
- Expect swift legislative action on redistricting, with potential national implications for congressional control in 2026
