Spanberger takes office as Virginia’s 75th governor

The first woman to serve as the Governor of Virginia took the oath of office at the State Capitol this afternoon after winning the election last November.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears with over 57 percent of the vote.

“Neighbors, friends, and our fellow Virginians. It is my honor to be with all of you today,” said Governor Spanberger. “An inauguration ceremony like this one, with all its tradition and pageantry, represents something profound and in its origin, something uniquely American, the peaceful transfer of power.”

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Spanberger said the tradition began when George Washington, a Virginian, opted to step down after two terms as President. She thanked former Governor Glenn Youngkin for his service, as well as the time that former Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and former Attorney General Jason Miyares put in while in office.

Spanberger also thanked generations that came before her that worked to ensure that women have the right not only to vote but also to hold office.

“But who could only dream of a day like today?” Spanberger asked. “I stand before those who made it possible for a woman to also participate in that peaceful transfer of power and take that oath.”

Spanberger noted that this is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, drawing attention to Thomas Jefferson’s role as Virginia’s second governor. The first was Patrick Henry, who was sworn in in 1776.

“Governor Henry is best known for his call against tyranny at St. John’s Church, just up the road, words that helped launch the American Revolution,” Spanberger said. “But in his final public speech delivered in Virginia Years later in 1799, he made an appeal to his fellow citizens, warning against the divisions that were threatening our young country. His appeal remains timeless. He said, united we stand, divided we fall, Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”

Spanberger noted that the steps of the Virginia capitol were used by suffragists to lobby for the right for women to vote, a request denied for many years until 1920 when the U.S. Constitution was amended. She also noted that Virginia did not ratify the 19th Amendment until 1952.

The new governor also noted that Virginia decided to call itself a Commonwealth upon independence and not just a state.

“What’s the difference?,” Spanberger said. “We, kids, pay attention. Someone may ask you this eventually. There’s no difference. There is no difference in how we operate or function as a state. The difference lies in the intentions of our forefathers and the choice to indicate that here our government should serve the common good. That the voices of everyday Virginians, not kings, not aristocrats, not oligarchs, should. That the voices of everyday Virginian should drive us forward and that our prosperity depends on that union.”

Turning to policy and the future, Spanberger said she would help guide Virginia during a time when the federal government is seeking to end support for rural hospitals, support for health care, and other outcomes sought by the current administration.

“I know that some who are here today or watching from home may disagree with the litany in of challenges and the hardships that I laid out,” Spanberger said. “Your perspective may differ from mine, but that does not preclude us from working together where we may find common cause.”

Spanberger said she looks forward to working with the General Assembly over the next four years and thanked her Cabinet for being willing to serve.

“As we mark 250 years since the dawn of American freedom, what will our children, our grandchildren and their descendants write about this time in our Commonwealth’s history? This chapter, 50, 100, 250 years from now, will they say that we let divisions fester or challenges overwhelm us? Or will they say that we stood up for what is right, fixed what is broken, and served the common good?”

You can watch the entire inauguration ceremony on VPM or read the remarks on the website of the 75th Governor.

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