Abigail Spanberger was sworn in Saturday at the Virginia state Capitol as the state’s first woman governor, succeeding Glenn Youngkin after centuries in which men held the top post in Virginia. The ceremony took place amid a cold drizzle, with Spanberger taking office as Democrats seek to govern in state-level power while Republican President Donald Trump sits in Washington.
In her remarks, Spanberger said, “The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me,” and added: “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.” She also framed her agenda against federal policies, saying it was time for Virginians to fix what was broken.
“I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington,” Spanberger said. She added that voters were worried about policies affecting communities, cutting health care access, imperiling rural hospitals and driving up costs.
Spanberger, a Democrat who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, had campaigned on protecting Virginia’s economy from what she described as aggressive tactics from the Trump administration. On the trail, she spoke about changes including the White House gutting the civil service, rising costs of goods and impacts to a health care system described as already fragile.
Alongside Spanberger, two other Democrats were sworn in Saturday. Ghazala F. Hashmi became lieutenant governor, described as the first Muslim woman to serve in statewide office in the U.S., and she placed her hand on a Quran as she took the oath. Jay Jones became Virginia’s first Black attorney general, and he had been sworn into his post in the former capital of the Confederacy.
After the ceremony, Hashmi and Jones stood behind Spanberger as she signed her first 10 executive orders. One order rescinded a directive from last year by Youngkin that instructed state law enforcement and corrections officers to assist with immigration enforcement.
Spanberger said in connection with the change, “Local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws.” Prominent Democrats attended the ceremony, including New Jersey Gov.-Elect Mikie Sherrill and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and U.S. Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Adam Schiff were seated in the crowd.
The inauguration was described as historic beyond the top job. Spanberger’s inauguration marked the first time a woman has served as Virginia’s governor, with the AP reporting that only men had held the post since Virginia became a commonwealth in 1776, and that no woman served as a colonial governor before then. Spanberger was referred to with traditional formality as “Madam Governor” or “her excellency.”
Protocol for attire was also noted in the coverage, including guidance that men in the official party wear morning coats and women wear dark suits for the inauguration. While other officials followed that tradition, Spanberger wore all white and a gold pin on her long, white coat reading: “One country. One destiny.”
Spanberger’s speech also looked to Virginia political history, with the AP reporting that she said, “On these steps, Virginia inaugurated our 66th governor and our nation’s first elected African American governor,” and that Gov. L. Douglas Wilder “changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible.” Wilder, the former governor, was also present at the ceremony on his 95th birthday.
Democrats in the statehouse said they planned to work with Spanberger to push through an agenda that includes redrawing Virginia’s congressional district map ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The AP reported that the state Democrats picked up 13 seats in the House of Delegates a year after the party’s losses nationwide in the 2024 presidential election.