On January 17, 2026, Virginians watched a supposed “moderate” arrive at the statehouse and immediately rip up the playbook she used on the campaign trail. Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor and on Day One signed ten executive orders that set the tone for a fast-moving, leftward agenda rather than the centrist stewardship many voters were promised. If you believed the “moderate” label, the ink on her signature should have been your first clue otherwise.
One of those orders stripped the Youngkin administration’s directive that encouraged cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, a change Spanberger framed as refocusing police on public-safety priorities. Conservatives should not be naive here: making it harder to coordinate with federal enforcement is not an abstract policy debate — it has real consequences for victims, prosecutors, and communities that rely on cross-jurisdictional cooperation to catch and hold criminals. This was not a small tweak; it was a deliberate rollback that signals where this administration’s priorities lie.
Spanberger also announced she intends to drag Virginia back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade scheme she claims will “save” families through efficiency programs and resilience projects. That sell sounds nice in a speech, but RGGI has a track record of adding costs to energy producers that flow to consumers — and Republican leaders warn joining will mean higher bills and another invisible tax on working Virginians’ paychecks. This isn’t theory; it’s a direct policy choice that shifts costs onto households and small businesses under the guise of climate virtue signaling.
Meanwhile, with Democrats holding the levers of power in Richmond, a flurry of bills already reflect the same ideological bent: new taxes, heavier regulation, and gun restrictions that would punish law-abiding citizens. The Virginia Citizens Defense League is tracking proposals like a $500 tax on suppressors and even broader firearm restrictions, while other outlets have cataloged everything from service taxes to nanny-state ordinances popping up in committee files. These aren’t isolated ideas; they’re pieces of an ecosystem that will squeeze household budgets, raise the cost of living, and shrink personal liberty.
Look closer at the mechanics of her Day One orders and you see the centralizing impulse: expanded authority for a chief of staff, delegated emergency powers, and a rapid review of university governing boards. This stack of centralized control is classic left-wing governance — concentrate decision-making in an administration that can then pick winners and losers across industry, education, and civil institutions. For hardworking Virginians, that means decisions about jobs, tuition, and local ordinances get made by political appointees instead of communities.
The spin doctors will tell you it’s all about “affordability” and “equity,” but the playbook is predictable: promise targeted benefits while piling new costs on everyone else. Energy mandates, regulatory fees, and expanded state programs often start as modest proposals and end up as permanent drains on paychecks and pensions. If history is any guide, the people who envisioned these schemes rarely end up paying the bills themselves.
This isn’t just a Virginia problem. When one state’s government embraces the same statist solutions that have hollowed out prosperity elsewhere, it sets a tone that national Democrats will happily amplify. Conservatives should be blunt: labeling these moves “Marxist” isn’t meant as fashionable hyperbole but as a warning that central planning, wealth redistribution, and regulatory domination are the endgame. Virginians expecting common-sense governance deserve better than ideology dressed up as compassion.
The silver lining for patriots and defenders of liberty is that this kind of overreach tends to wake people up. When paychecks are squeezed, when small businesses face new taxes and compliance costs, and when public safety becomes politicized, voters remember who stood for common sense and who chased woke orthodoxy. It’s time for grassroots conservatives, small-business owners, and blue-collar families to organize, speak up at town halls, and hold the General Assembly accountable before these paper promises become permanent burdens.
If you love your family, your savings, and your community, you should be watching Richmond closely. This administration’s first-week frenzy makes one thing clear: the fight for Virginia’s future will be about protecting paychecks, preserving law and order, and defending the freedoms that let Americans prosper. Roll up your sleeves, call your representatives, and don’t let a self-styled “moderate” shipwreck your wallet while selling you progressive slogans.
