Watch News4’s live coverage of Abigail Spanberger’s historic inauguration, starting at noon on Saturday, in the video player above.
This weekend, Virginia will make history.
When former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is inaugurated as the commonwealth’s 75th governor, she will also become the first woman to hold the position.
The historic inauguration will take place on Saturday, on the South Portico of the Virginia State Capitol Building in Richmond.
Spanberger will be sworn in along with Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General-elect Jay Jones.
Hashmi and Jones will also make history as they are sworn in, with Hashmi becoming the first Muslim woman to enter statewide office in the United States and Jones becoming the commonwealth’s first Black attorney general.
The November election was a Democratic sweep of Virginia’s statewide posts. Democrats have also retained a narrow control of the state legislature.
The ceremony begins at noon and is expected to last about an hour. Spanberger will speak.
Immediately after the ceremony, an inaugural parade will circle the Virginia State Capitol.
When the parade ends, the newly-inaugurated Gov. Spanberger will sign a series of executive orders.
Those orders are expected to focus on open seats on the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors, the deputization of Virginia State Police officers to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the treatment of transgender students in public schools.
Other top-priority issues for the incoming administration include the cost and impact of data centers and affordability for housing and health care.
Spanberger’s agenda is tempered by a worsening financial picture for the commonwealth, as hundreds of millions in federal funds are lost.
But the incoming governor has chosen to focus on navigating whatever the future brings with a theme that preaches togetherness: United for Virginia’s Future.
