Jessica Schwalb writes for the Washington Free Beacon about the latest misstep from Virginia’s new governor.
Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger (D.) took credit for over $7.1 billion in business investments to the Old Dominion—investments that were actually secured by her Republican predecessor, Glenn Youngkin.
Spanberger’s Monday announcement listed four bipartisan bills she signed that detail the capital investments from Avio USA, Hitachi Energy, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca, which involve building new facilities and will bring more than 3,200 jobs building rocket motors, producing critical electrical grid infrastructure, and manufacturing pharmaceuticals. The legislation provides financial incentives for each company.
“From my very first day in office, I have been working to create a stable business environment so companies can hire, expand, and continue to invest in our Commonwealth,” Spanberger said in the announcement. “Attracting new businesses and jobs to Virginia is a core focus of my administration — and I’m proud of the hundreds of millions of dollars in investment we have already announced this year.”
All four companies, however, announced their forthcoming investments last year while Youngkin was governor, as reporter Nick Minock of 7News DC first noted in a Wednesday X post. All four companies also included quotes from Youngkin when announcing the investments in 2025. AstraZeneca’s CEO specifically thanked “Governor Youngkin and his team for their energy and vision,” saying the company “found in Virginia an amazing team that moves at incredible speed to build a better future for this Commonwealth and the American people.” Hitachi said its new Virginia facility came “with the support of Governor Youngkin” as well as “the Trump Administration’s White House AI Action Plan.” Hitachi, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca announced their investments before Spanberger won in November.
Youngkin spokesman Justin Discigil told the Washington Free Beacon that the former governor is grateful his state continues to reap the rewards of his tenure, even if he doesn’t get credit.
