Congratulations to Governor Abigail Spanberger on Her Historic Inauguration – A Call for Collaboration and Principled Debate

For Immediate Release

By the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

Date: January 17, 2026

Today, the Thomas Jefferson Institute congratulates Governor Abigail Spanberger on her historic inauguration as the 75th governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia — and the first woman in the nearly 250-year history of the Commonwealth to hold this office.

Her assumption of the governorship marks a milestone in Virginia’s story, one rooted in tradition and as she noted in her inaugural address “represents something profound… the peaceful transfer of power… a cornerstone of our American democratic experiment.” 

Today’s ceremony was an elaborate and exciting celebration of what is best about Virginia, and marked an historic day that should make all Virginians, regardless of party, proud!

The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (TJI) is dedicated to advancing freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for all Virginians through limited government, free markets, and individual choice. When advancing policies that align with these principles, we stand with Governor Spanberger who rightly noted “our prosperity depends upon union… that our leaders and our fellow Virginians should join in common cause, find common ground, and pursue common purpose — this is the concept at the heart of what it means to be a Commonwealth.”

Opportunities to collaborate with the new Governor will be plentiful. We will join her in the fight against efforts to end Virginia’s Right to Work protections, to support efforts to promote accountability in education, to build on Virginia’s strong economic development efforts, and to ensure an energy policy that protects and prioritizes reliability.

And while TJI stands ready to find common cause and purpose in areas of agreement or near agreement, disagreements are inevitable. As the Governor rightly noted today, “we will not agree on everything… we do not have to see eye-to-eye on every issue in order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on others.” 

Thus, TJI will respectfully point out policy differences with the new Governor when they arise. Specifically, we will continue to oppose new regulations and employer mandates, new and higher taxes, and we will push for more educational freedom and less union control of public dollars, to name just a few.  

And while Governor Spanberger’s inaugural address cheered that “we are beginning a new chapter in our Commonwealth’s story...” the Thomas Jefferson Institute hopes that this new story will not discard or discount the economic and policy successes that were started in the chapter of Virginia’s story written by now ex-Governor Youngkin (detailed here). 

Virginia’s next chapter should build on what Governor Spanberger has been handed and be one of continued prosperity and principled governance.

We look forward to engaging with Governor Spanberger, her administration, and the General Assembly in pursuit of that shared vision.

Respectfully,