Abigail Spanberger says she’ll push back on Trump’s ‘bad policies’ : NPR

Abigail Spanberger, Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, thanks supporters at an election night rally. Spanberger declared victory over Republican incumbent Dave Brat.

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Abigail Spanberger, Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, thanks supporters at an election night rally. Spanberger declared victory over Republican incumbent Dave Brat.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democrat Abigail Spanberger will be Virginia’s next governor, according to a calling the race by The Associated Press. This historic victory will position her as Virginia’s first female governor.

Backed by national Democrats looking to bolster their chances in the 2026 midterm elections, Spanberger defeated her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Spanberger served in the CIA before running for Congress in 2018, where she served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Throughout his career, Spanberger cultivated a reputation as a pragmatic centrist. During her run for governor, she gained support from Virginians by raising concerns about the rising cost of living and economic uncertainty. Spanberger promised to stand up for the state’s federal workers and federal contractors, who have been negatively affected by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, federal layoffs, tariffs and extended shutdown.

“I will seek to work with a president with whom I may have substantial disagreement,” Spanberger said. Morning edition. “And right now, as governor-elect and governor in the new year, my approach will be to make sure that I push for what we need here on the ground. And right now, that will come down to fighting a variety of bad policies that are emanating from this White House.”

In a conversation with NPR’s Leila Fadel, Spanberger talked about her historic victory and her plans to implement the agenda she laid out during her campaign.

The following exchange has been edited for length and clarity.

Interview Highlights

Leila Fadel: How are you feeling this morning as you reflect on your historic election as Virginia’s first female governor?

Abigail Spanberger: I feel good this morning. It’s a good day in Virginia and the transition begins today. So I can’t wait to get to work.

Fadel: So winning an election is one thing, but keeping the promise to make things affordable for federal workers who have lost their jobs, as you did on the campaign trail, is another. What is your program for the first day?

Spanberger: Day one is to begin working with our partners in the General Assembly to ensure they are ready to introduce bills for filing. Ensuring that I am prepared, on day one in January, to take executive action aimed at ensuring that we support all Virginians, especially given the challenges that so many in our community have faced in the past because of DOGE and now because of the shutdown. And maintain the economic focus that I’ve had throughout this campaign, so that as soon as I’m sworn in, in January, we will move quickly to take decisive, clear action to fulfill the promises and plans that I laid out throughout the campaign.

Fadel: As you point out, Virginia, home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors, is deeply affected by DOGE budget cuts and government shutdowns. Before going any further, I would like to ask you if you consider your victory an endorsement of your program or a rejection of Donald Trump?

Spanberger: I think it’s absolutely an endorsement of a program that puts Virginians first. This is an endorsement of a program we have developed throughout the summer to strengthen our public schools, reduce costs, especially housing, health care and energy, and grow our economy. And all of this is certainly happening in a landscape where Virginia has been very impacted by choices made by the White House, whether it was DOGE, whether it was tariffs, and then the retaliatory trade policies that we then experienced that impacted Virginia, from small businesses to farmers to shipping to our port. But it is certainly an endorsement of our affirmative program. But, certainly, in the context where so much of what’s happening here in Virginia and so much of people’s concerns are really heightened because of the way that we’ve been impacted by the bad choices and the aggressive chaos coming out of Washington.

Fadel: What about immigration? I mean, Virginia’s outgoing Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, shares the president’s tough approach to immigration. He signed an executive order requiring local law enforcement to work with federal immigration authorities. Will this also be your approach?

Spanberger: Absolutely not. I am a former law enforcement officer. I was a federal agent before becoming a CIA officer. So all of my training is focused on law and order, understanding the threats our country faces from outside and recognizing clearly, frankly, the responsibilities of upholding the law. The efforts we have seen undertaken by this administration with ICE are beyond anything I have ever experienced as a law enforcement officer. Every time we went somewhere, we showed our money orders. When we were with the local police, they were clearly identified. We were clearly marked. The idea of ​​families being stopped on the side of the road, parents pulled from cars, and children abandoned is nothing short of a nightmare and does not make our communities safer. So my approach will be this: When there is a warrant signed by a judge, law enforcement can and certainly should work with federal agencies. This is how I have always worked in a working group or on common files. But I don’t want local law enforcement in Virginia to carry out ICE’s administrative actions, especially at a time when it’s causing so much fear and confusion in our communities.

The digital version was adapted for the web by Destinee Adams and edited by Treye Green.