Spanberger stresses need for stable biz environment

At a Hampton Roads Chamber event at the Virginia Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger said she will prioritize a business climate that is stable, predictable and affordable, and reiterated that she would not sign legislation repealing Virginia’s right-to-work law.

Spanberger framed her emphasis on stability against what she described as growing economic headwinds and barriers to growth driven by federal policies and dysfunction.

“Right now, we have chaos coming out of Washington that is damaging or challenging Virginia’s business environment,” she said.

She said she has heard from farmers, manufacturers and small business owners who said they are “feeling the pain” of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs and from families who are “deeply concerned” about health care costs. Business leaders, she said, have told her they are worried about uncertainty stemming from Trump administration federal layoffs, government contract cuts, and the record 43-day government shutdown that ended on Nov. 12.

“Not only does this chaos hurt businesses and workers alike, but it threatens to overshadow the opportunities that we have to work with our partners at the federal level to strengthen Virginia’s economy and to create lasting prosperity for Virginia’s communities,” Spanberger told the chamber audience. “My administration will be ready to work alongside the federal government to advance shared goals and benefit Virginia and Hampton Roads.”

In particular, she said, her administration would support advanced manufacturing and military installations across the region, which she said “underpin our national security and strengthen our economic resilience.”

She said she intends to ensure stability and certainty across the business environment, which is why, she added, that she’s been “very clear” that she would not sign legislation that would repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law.

At the chamber event, she told hundreds of regional business leaders that Hampton Roads is one of the state’s most important economic engines and that it’s a priority for her cabinet to work closely with the business community. She said her team is working to ensure her incoming administration is “ready to hit the ground running” in January to address the state’s challenges and pursue opportunities to strengthen Virginia’s economy.

Over the next four years, Spanberger said, she will be “laser-focused” on attracting new businesses to the state and increasing affordability for Virginians. She said a strong economy requires Virginia workers to have the skills and education needed to “succeed in the jobs of tomorrow,” and that her administration will work with K-12 schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions to support career and technical programs and workforce development.

“We will provide students with meaningful, career-ready experiences and investments in internships and apprenticeships, which will be an essential part of this effort,” Spanberger said. “We need to make sure these opportunities will lead to good-paying jobs here in Virginia.”

She assured the audience she would work “aggressively to promote Virginia as the best state in the country to do business,” a likely reference to Virginia dropping from No. 1 to No. 4 this year in CNBC’s annual Top States for Business rankings.