Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Steve Helber/AP)
"But but but… I'm old enough to remember ‘moderate’ candidate Spanberger who ran ads talking about crime, touting her law enforcement experience with her retired cop father," former NRCC executive director Rob Simms posted on X. "She's a fraud, has always been a fraud, will always be a fraud."
Fox News host Mark Levin took to X to say that Spanberger "lied through her teeth" on the campaign trail about her "moderate" positions and said she has been "moving at high speed to permanently radicalize and change the state."
"Abigail Spanberger is no moderate. Sick stuff," James Laverty, the communications director for Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said on X.
Among Spanberger's campaign promises was to commit to rescinding former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order requiring Virginia law enforcement to help work with federal law enforcement as they carry out their immigration enforcement activities. On Saturday, as she signed 10 new executive orders shortly after being sworn in, Spanberger rescinded that order from the former GOP administration.
"State and local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal, civil immigration laws – it is the responsibility of federal law enforcement," Spanberger said as she signed her Day 1 directive. "Virginia state and local law enforcement officers must be able to focus on their core responsibilities : investigating crime and community policing."
Then-Virginia attorney general candidate Jerrauld "Jay" Jones speaks at an event in Norfolk, Virginia. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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"Virginia's proposed redistricting amendment is a response to what we're seeing in other states that have taken extreme measures to undermine democratic norms," Spanberger said during remarks to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly.
Meanwhile, shortly after being sworn in, Spanberger announced Virginia would rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – a move she said would lower costs, but that Republicans have argued will increase them.
"For me, this is about cost savings. RGGI generated hundreds of millions of dollars for Virginia — dollars that went directly to flood mitigation, energy efficiency programs, and lowering bills for families who need help most," Spanberger added during her address. "Withdrawing from RGGI did not lower energy costs. In fact, the opposite happened — it just took money out of Virginia's pocket. It is time to fix that mistake."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/conservatives-rip-virginia-governors-moderate-label-after-radical-laundry-list-day-1-moves