RICHMOND, Va.
Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in Saturday as Virginia’s 75th governor, shattering a 248-year political barrier to become the first woman to lead the commonwealth.
The inauguration, filled with traditional pageantry at the state Capitol, marks a historic turning point: since Virginia’s founding in 1776, its highest office has been held exclusively by men.
Spanberger, a former CIA officer and congresswoman who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in November, will now be formally addressed as “Madam Governor.”
“For the next generation of kids, it’ll be normal to see a woman in this role,” Spanberger has said, “whether it’s doing the joyful things of ribbon cuttings or the hard things of contending with whatever challenges we might be facing into the future.”
Her swearing-in is part of a broader historic moment for Virginia’s leadership. Democrat Ghazala F. Hashmi will become the nation’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office as lieutenant governor, while Democrat Jay Jones will be sworn in as Virginia’s first Black attorney general—a milestone underscored by the ceremony’s location in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy.
By James Kisoo
