Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger — the Democratic gubernatorial nominee — visited the University Tuesday for a conversation with students on her policy platform. In the conversation with Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato, Spanberger made what is likely her final return to the University which she attended before the election.
Spanberger’s appearance at the Rotunda comes after her opponent — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears — spoke at a similar event in April. The two are vying to become the first woman governor of Virginia.
Spanberger hit on key issues through questions from Sabato and students, including how she would approach the Board of Visitors as governor. In the months since former University President Jim Ryan resigned, Virginia Senate Democrats have led a charge against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to the Board as a response.
In response to a student question, Spanberger said the Board’s appointment process should be revisited.
“There is a real, clear need to make … changes to how it is that we make appointments,” Spanberger said. “I think that there’s a whole array of things that people have brought to me for consideration.”
The current process has the governor make nominations for governing boards across the Commonwealth, and those nominees begin serving until their confirmation comes before the General Assembly, usually during regular session. Other lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, have previously said they too support changes to the appointment process.
The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee has now blocked five appointments to the University Board, and several more at George Mason University and the Virginia Military Institute.
The Board is top of mind for many students and faculty at the University after some say it did not do enough to protect the University from the Justice Department. The Justice Department sent seven letters to the University in the spring, pressuring it over admissions policies, handling of antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Spanberger said she believes the way the University handled the inquiries by the Justice Department may have far reaching implications beyond the University.
“I find it really egregious on multiple levels because it isn’t just U.Va. — the University — that’s impacted,” Spanberger said. “It’s U.Va. — the driver of so much of Virginia's economy.”
In response, Spanberger said she hopes to move the University counsel outside of the direction of the Virginia attorney general. Currently, the counsel technically works for the attorney general, who is currently Republican Jason Miyares. Given Miyares’ party and support for President Donald Trump, that made it unlikely that University Counsel Cliff Iler would have stood up to the Trump administration.
“I think it's absolutely critical that University counsel gets moved out from under the attorney general's office, so that universities can have lawyers who are focused with a clear focus on doing what's best and right for a university,” Spanberger said.
The student who asked the question about the Board — fourth-year College student Keoni Vega — said after the event that he hopes to see Spanberger take action against the Board if elected governor.
“I think she said what she could and what she said was very smart,” Vega said. “I think a lot of people want to have heard maybe about potential removal of members from the Board, but I think in saying so you make the University a target again.”
Asked if he personally supports removing Board members, Vega said he thinks it would be “appropriate.”
“There have been some alleged troublemakers, I'd say, involving themselves with the Department of Justice, or maybe not acting as forcefully as they should be in defending our University and President Ryan,” Vega said. “And so I think if that is the case … they certainly should not be serving on our Board.”
Aside from the Board, Spanberger spent most of the evening taking questions from students about her policy platform. Many of the questions were pre-written and pre-selected by the Center for Politics — a standard practice for events it hosts.
In just the first few minutes of her remarks, Spanberger hit on several major policy points of her campaign — cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency to jobs in Virginia, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act championed by Trump, cuts to Medicaid from that bill, funding public education and Trump’s tariffs on foreign countries.
While most of those are national issues as well, some have a disproportionate impact on Virginia. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond estimated that Virginia lost nearly five percent of its federal workers from January to May 2025. One Republican candidate for the House of Delegates in Northern Virginia dropped out of the race Monday, citing his own position as a government contractor being cut.
At the same time, Northern Virginia is seeing an increase in artificial intelligence and technology companies setting up shop and bringing new jobs. Along with them are data centers to power AI, which require a significant amount of water and energy. One student asked Spanberger how she would handle data centers being constructed.
Spanberger said that she would invite technology companies to bring jobs to Virginia, but that Virginia needs to be producing more electricity.
“Virginia is the largest net importer of energy in the country. So if any state in the whole country, we have to import the most energy to ensure that we are powering our state's needs,” Spanberger said.
She added that boosting the nuclear power industry is an energy-producing step she would push for if elected governor.
Spanberger and Sabato also spoke about recent events, acknowledging the recent assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. The shooting has elicited a range of responses, with many denouncing political violence altogether but some activists and politicians in each party blaming the other for their rhetoric.
“It should be easy for everyone to denounce political violence. It should be a straightforward exercise in stating the obvious,” Spanberger said. “Once we move or accept a place where political violence … becomes the accepted reality, that changes the entirety of the landscape of what our political discourse can be.”
She said in these times of heightened partisanship and uncertainty, she accepts any criticism that she may not be an exciting candidate because she would rather be someone who can provide steady leadership.
“I'm never going to be coolest on TikTok, and I'm okay with that, because I'm not trying. I'm trying to be someone who's working to govern,” Spanberger said.
At the end of the event, Sabato shared high praise for Spanberger, saying she demonstrated care and thoroughness on the subjects. The pair shared one final message for students — to go cast their ballots during the early voting process.
Early voting begins Friday, and students can register to vote through Oct. 24. Students can also register in-person on Election Day, Nov. 4, to cast a provisional ballot.
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