The Daily Populous Sunday January 18th, 2026 morning edition
Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Dr_Neurol

Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday as Virginia’s first female governor, amid a cold drizzle outside the state Capitol after centuries of men holding the commonwealth’s top office.

Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican. It marks a new chapter in Virginia as Democrats pull the levers of power in state government while Republican President Donald Trump sits in the White House in neighboring Washington.

“The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me,” Spanberger said in her address. “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.”

Spanberger ran on a vow to protect Virginia’s economy from the aggressive tactics of Trump’s administration. On the trail, she spoke of the White House’s gutting the civil service, rising costs of goods and changes impacting the state’s already fragile health care system.

In a thinly veiled dig at the president, Spanberger said it was time for Virginians to fix what was broken.

“I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington,” she said. “You are worried about policies that are hurting our communities, cutting health care access, imperiling rural hospitals and driving up costs.”

Two other Democrats were also sworn in. Ghazala Hashmi, the first Muslim woman to serve in statewide office in the US, is the new lieutenant governor. Jay Jones is Virginia’s first Black attorney general.

After the ceremony, Hashmi and Jones stood behind Spanberger as she signed her first 10 executive orders. One of the orders rescinds a Youngkin directive from last year instructing state law enforcement and corrections officers to assist with immigration enforcement.

“Local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws,” she said.

Spanberger’s inauguration as the state’s 75th governor is a historic first: Only men have held the post since Virginia first became a commonwealth in 1776. And no woman served as a colonial governor before then.

She will be referred to with traditional formality: “Madam Governor” or, as some officials phrase it, “her excellency.”

Prominent Democrats attended the ceremony, such as New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. US Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Adam Schiff were seated in the crowd. Former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder, who was marking his 95th birthday, also attended.

“On these steps, Virginia inaugurated our 66th governor and our nation’s first elected African American governor,” Spanberger said in her speech. “Gov. L. Douglas Wilder changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible.”

The state Democrats picked up 13 seats in the House of Delegates a year after the party’s stunning losses nationwide in the 2024 presidential election.

Democrats in the Statehouse have vowed to work with Spanberger to push through their bullish agenda, which includes redrawing the state’s congressional district map ahead of the midterm elections this year.

This story has been updated with additional information.

TripperDay on January 18th, 2026 at 05:57 UTC »

She won 57-42 in a state Harris won 52-48 and even parts of the state not close to DC shifted blue. Good sign for the midterms.

glushman on January 18th, 2026 at 01:35 UTC »

Sic semper tyrannis

ThriftStoreGoddess on January 17th, 2026 at 22:35 UTC »

Spanberger is a former CIA officer and ex-congresswoman, known for centrist views, which may help her work across party lines in Virginia. Huge pressure, hope she’s doing ok