As the campaigns drew to a close following sweeping Democratic victories, attention now turns to how Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and Charlottesville-area Dels. Katrina Callsen and Amy Laufer will shape the future of Charlottesville in their upcoming terms, especially for students at the University.
Spanberger was elected Tuesday night in a 15-point victory over Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, while Callsen and Laufer ran unopposed and thus were re-elected. State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, won the lieutenant governor’s race and former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, won the attorney general’s race.
When the next legislative session begins in January, Spanberger and Democrats should have greater ease in passing these legislative priorities after picking up 13 seats in the House of Delegates and maintaining their majority in the Senate, which was not up for election this year. The Cavalier Daily spoke to Callsen and Laufer just a day before the election to gain a better understanding of how they will govern ahead of the 2026 legislative session.
Higher education
According to Spanberger’s campaign website and campaign platform, she hopes to focus on improving education in the Commonwealth, something Callsen and Laufer echoed when talking about moving forward with legislation.
Spanberger’s plan titled “Abigail’s Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan,” addresses a variety of issues in K-12 and higher education. Spanberger has pledged to reform the appointment for university governing boards following a months-long battle between the State Senate and the governor’s office. The vacancies left from that battle means Spanberger could also immediately appoint new members to boards at U.Va., George Mason University and the Virginia Military Institute.
One of her proposals would empower the Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments to recommend qualified and nonpartisan “mission-driven individuals” for board service, aimed at preventing future governors “from using our colleges and universities as political pawns.”
Callsen said she shares those concerns about partisanship in higher education governance.
“I have to be really honest, I think it's concerning that university governance right now is entirely Republican. All 17 members are Republican in a state that is a purple state, in a city [and] in a county that leans very blue,” Callsen said. “I do not think that is a fair allotment of governance, and I find it problematic.”
Callsen added that she hopes to see a more balanced approach to university oversight in coming years.
“I think there are ways that we can tackle that, nonpartisan ways, so we can stagger terms to make it so that no one sitting governor appoints all board members,” Callsen said. “We can appoint independent counsel to our universities … so that’s the work I would like to see happen.”
Also aimed at protecting the University, Spanberger previously stated her support for changing the role of the university counsel. Currently the counsel is part of the attorney general’s office, and can be hired or fired by the attorney general. Spanberger proposed moving the counsel out from underneath the attorney general, allowing them to make decisions for a public university independent of the partisan affiliation of the attorney general. The vast majority of states have a university counsel independent of the attorney general.
Under Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), former University Counsel Cliff Iler likely could not have taken legal action against the Trump administration when the University came under investigation, as it would have required Miyares’ approval. But even if Democrats do not make that policy change, the position of university counsel could be more forceful against the Trump administration under Attorney General-elect Jay Jones.
Laufer also said she plans to continue her work on legislation related to the University’s Board of Visitors, which involves once again introducing a bill giving voting rights to the existing faculty and staff representatives on the Board, who currently are not permitted to vote on agenda items.
Laufer said the proposal stems from years of collaboration with University staff and faculty, and is part of a larger effort to strengthen representation in higher education governance.
Spanberger’s plan for higher education also aims to make college more affordable and accessible by directing the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to monitor efficiency through the OpSix process, a six-person advisory committee that reviews and provides feedback on institutions six-year operating plans. The proposal would encourage universities to streamline operations as enrollment declines while prioritizing access for Pell Grant-eligible and first-generation students.
K-12 education
More broadly on education, Callsen said her priorities include ensuring Virginia schools are adequately funded and raising the standards of schools to ensure that students are prepared for higher education or the workforce.
“[We need to] make sure that we're adequately funding our schools, paying our teachers, making sure that children have access to facilities and buildings that are conducive to learning,” Callsen said.
She highlighted her previous work on restoring education funding and her “math auto-enroll” bill, which automatically places qualified students in advanced math courses.
Spanberger has outlined her plan for K-12 education on her website, which focuses on improving achievement as well as recruiting more teachers to address Virginia’s teacher shortage, repairing existing school infrastructure — something currently underway in Charlottesville — and focusing on protecting schools from gun violence and cyberattacks, among other policies.
Economy, jobs and affordability
Spanberger campaigned heavily on affordability and housing access across Virginia. Her plan calls for addressing the state’s housing supply crisis by cutting red tape on construction, empowering local governments to develop tailored affordable housing programs and directing investments toward starter homes and middle-class housing.
Spanberger has also proposed re-establishing an Interagency Council on Homelessness and Housing and strengthening tenant protections to prevent evictions, goals that parallel local concerns in Charlottesville’s tight rental market.
Callsen said she hopes to extend that focus on affordability from the legislative side, emphasizing the need for stronger tenant protections to ensure students and residents alike can access quality housing.
“This year, I know I will be carrying a bill … called the Warranty of Habitability,” Callsen said. Right now in Virginia, if you have a place that is unfit to live in, you actually have quite a few burdens that you have to overcome financially in order to even be able to go after your landlord.”
She added that the bill could particularly impact students, many of whom are renters living off Grounds, by strengthening protections for tenants.
Spanberger’s “Growing Virginia’s Workforce” plan outlines a statewide effort focused on expanding paid internships, apprenticeships and dual-enrollment courses in high-demand fields like healthcare, education and advanced manufacturing. Spanberger also plans to direct the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to collaborate with universities and businesses on creating on-campus internship centers, a move that could directly benefit University students looking to stay and work in Virginia after graduation.
The plan also addresses a key part of her campaign, which was cuts to the federal workforce in Washington. Spanberger said she hopes to create a workforce board to make recommendations of adjacent positions to fired federal workers, and to work with the attorney general to fight for legal protections for those employees.
Her workforce plan could have significant implications for Charlottesville and Albemarle County, where industries like healthcare, research and education drive the local economy. By aligning workforce programs with these sectors, Spanberger hopes to retain more young professionals in the region and strengthen Virginia’s long-term economy.
Constitutional amendments
Alongside the Democrats’ increased majority in the General Assembly, Laufer said she plans to support three proposed constitutional amendments which have already passed once but must be passed a second time following the election. The amendments would protect access to abortion and contraception, guarantee marriage equality regardless of gender and restore voting rights for individuals with past felony convictions. Laufer thinks those amendments will pass quickly after they gavel back into session, and if they do pass, they would be on the ballot in 2026 for Virginia voters to vote on.
Spanberger has also pledged to make protecting reproductive rights a cornerstone of her administration. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022 — which overturned the right to abortion nationwide — she emphasized that Virginia remains the only state in the South that has not enacted an abortion ban. Her platform commits to defending access to contraception, abortion and in vitro fertilization while working to codify these protections into the Virginia Constitution.
The General Assembly is set to gavel back into regular session Jan. 14 for a 60-day term. Spanberger is set to be inaugurated as the 75th governor of Virginia Jan. 17, becoming the first woman to hold the office in the Commonwealth’s history.
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