OPINION:
Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor on Saturday. The former CIA operative and Democratic member of Congress swiftly reversed the good work of her Republican predecessor, Glenn Youngkin. As she explained in her inaugural remarks, converting the commonwealth into a sanctuary state tops her agenda.
“In Virginia, our hardworking, law-abiding immigrant neighbors will know that when we say we’ll focus on the security and safety of all of our neighbors, we mean them too,” she said.
After the ceremony, Ms. Spanberger sprinted to her new office to sign an executive order rescinding Mr. Youngkin’s policy of cooperating with Uncle Sam on immigration. Now, when liberal judges turn loose criminals who are also illegal aliens, they will be released onto the streets instead of being returned to their home countries.
Ms. Spanberger’s party wields a near veto-proof majority in the House of Delegates and a strong grip on the state Senate, so all moderating influence has vanished. As its first order of business, the General Assembly last week adopted a constitutional amendment to strengthen its political grip on the state through redistricting.
“Is anyone surprised that democrats in Richmond are more interested in forcing their extreme agenda than solving real problems for Virginians? People want safer neighborhoods and lower costs. Instead, democrats offer an unconstitutional gerrymandering amendment,” Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, Virginia Republican, said on X.
Six Democrats and five Republicans now represent the Old Dominion in Congress. Ms. Kiggans believes the rules are being rigged so that there will be 10 Democrats and one Republican. Confident this will work, Virginia Democrats are unimpeded in their quest to import every nutty idea from California and New York.
One new bill waters down the definition of robbery, ensuring that more crooks will go free on parole. It would even remove certain offenses from the application of the three-strikes law so serial offenders can continue preying on the public.
There’s also a host of revenue raisers, including a per-mile tax on driving and a tax on “property delivered electronically to an end user.” This means the state would add a new fee to every Spotify or Netflix subscription.
The legislature’s gun grabbers can’t wait for Richmond’s new leadership to enact their assault weapons ban, which criminalizes owning a gun with more than 10 rounds in the magazine if it was “manufactured on or after July 1, 2026.” It also makes it a crime for anyone younger than 21 to touch an AR-15, regardless of when it was made.
So, the same politicians who want preteens to undergo sex-change cosmetic surgeries without their parents’ knowledge or consent are raising age limits on holding the nation’s most popular sporting rifle. On one side of the jailhouse, the door is wide open so the thugs can leave. On the other side, the door is open, so the space can be filled with people exercising a constitutional right. In its analysis of the legislation’s effects, the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission isn’t even sure how many new beds it will need.
“Because it expands the potential applicability of existing felony offenses, the proposal may increase the future state-responsible (prison) bed space needs of the Commonwealth. Existing databases do not provide sufficient detail to estimate the number of new felony convictions likely to result from enactment of the proposal,” the commission wrote.
Ms. Spanberger feigned moderation to win the election. Now that she is in charge, her deep-state impulses have resurfaced.
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