by Molly Manning
Gov. Abigail Spanberger is more than six months into her first term as Virginia’s 75th governor and the commonwealth’s first female governor. Since taking office, she has signed legislation addressing a range of issues following the conclusion of the 2026 General Assembly session.
Communication is key
Something she’s learned since taking office is that “you can never actually overcommunicate,” Spanberger said during a conversation with reporters Thursday morning.
“When you’re talking about priorities, changes to bills, frankly, breakfast invites, all of it, I think that is something that would have been valuable,” Spanberger said.
Spanberger drew criticism from some members of her own party over her communication style after submitting amendments to legislation following the General Assembly session.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, noted at the time that “it is not what we are accustomed to” when receiving so many amendment proposals from the governor – citing a lack of communication from Spanberger’s office.
“And it’s actually just human nature and a busy schedule, and it’s something that I frankly should have clocked earlier,” Spanberger continued on Thursday. “But making sure that over-communicating needs to be the bare minimum, particularly with a legislative body that moves at such an intense pace because it’s part-time.”
Spanberger has helped make major changes for the commonwealth on gun laws, medical leave, and more in her first months as governor — alongside the Democratic-majority General Assembly.
However, Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs’ Summer 2026 Commonwealth Poll found 44% of registered voters approve of the job Spanberger is doing as governor, while 47% disapprove.
Wilder said it was uncommon for a new administration to have such a negative public outlook this early on.
An April Washington Post poll found Spanberger’s approval rating to be 13 points lower than the average Virginia governor at that point in their term since the 1990s.
Both polls highlighted strong partisan splits, while Affordability remains a top concern among voters, something Spanberger championed in her campaign for governor and has since been addressing through legislation.
Affordable VA
In her 100 Days Report Spanberger continued her emphasis on affordability and noted the signing of every bill in her Affordable Virginia Agenda. The agenda included legislation to do things like lower energy costs for low-income residents, eliminate additional fees on healthcare premiums, and expand the Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot Program.
Another key point of the Affordable Virginia Agenda was the rejoining of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI is an effort between 11 East Coast states to reduce emissions and support energy efficiency and flood prevention programs.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin previously removed Virginia from RGGI.
Budget
After much debate between Spanberger and the General Assembly chambers, the state’s final two-year budget includes a new energy consumption tax for data centers. The budget also included a $2 billion investment in public education, including raises for teachers and state employees.
Weed
Virginia’s recreational cannabis market will begin on July 1, 2027 — an agreement reached after Spanberger vetoed the initial legislation and delayed the proposed start date by six months.
Spanberger and the General Assembly also passed legislation that raises the public marijuana consumption fine, something advocates say will disproportionately harm marginalized groups.
Guns
Perhaps the most hotly contested pieces of legislation Spanberger has signed thus far are the bills surrounding the state’s gun laws.
Senate Bill 749 bans the purchase, sale or transfer of assault firearms, including AR-15’s. Two Virginia circuit court judges blocked the ban before it went into effect in six localities and for Virginia State Police. The U.S. Department of Justice also filed a lawsuit challenging the ban as unlawful and seeking to prevent state officials from enforcing it.
A Washington County circuit court judge placed a statewide injunction against the ban that will go into effect on July 21.
Spanberger also signed legislation to prevent domestic abusers from owning firearms, require safe storage of firearms around minors, crack down on ghost guns and establish a Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Center Workgroup.
Family leave
Virginia became the first state in the South with a paid family leave program when Spanberger signed a bill that was vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin the past two years. The legislation that allows an estimated 3 million Virginians paid family and medical leave benefits will begin in 2028.
Qualified Virginia employees will be eligible for up to 12 weeks per year of a combination of the following types of leave: medical, caregiving, parental, safe, and deployment-related leave for families and loved ones.
ICE
Though Spanberger condemned the Trump administration’s use of immigration enforcement officers, she vetoed legislation aimed at limiting ICE activity in the state, a decision that frustrated some Democrats.
She also signed legislation on banning ICE officers from wearing masks, but a federal judge placed an injunction in June to prevent that law from being enacted.