Virginia Gov Spanberger hits record-low job approval rating, poll finds

Virginia’s Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger was swept into the governor’s mansion on a deep blue tide last November, only to see her popularity plummet after less than 3 months in office.

Forty-six percent of Virginians disapprove of his job performance, while 47% approve. Compared to Virginia governors on both sides of the aisle since 1994, Spanberger has the highest disapproval rating at this point in his tenure.

By contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a 54-39 job approval rating at this point in his term; The highest favorable rating went to Democrat Mark Warner, now Virginia’s senior senator, by a 78-20 score.

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Warner’s current counterpart, Sen. Tim Kaine, was 62-31, GOP Gov. Jim Gilmore III was 63-30, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell was 59-39, and Democrats Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam were 52-30 and 48-37, respectively.

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Spanberger defeated then-Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears handed statewide offices to Democrats Ghazala Hashmi as lieutenant governor and Jay Jones as attorney general by a 15-point margin in November.

The Post noted that while Spanberger’s preference was slim, it was overshadowed by Youngkin’s win over McAuliffe in 2021, with the Falls Church business executive’s preference a few points higher than his.

Mark Rozell, dean of policy and government at George Mason University, a co-sponsor of the survey. he told the Post While some political polarization has been “baked in,” he said it’s “unusual” for Spanberger to see such an outcome so early in his tenure after a campaign run on a “centrist image.”

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But seven percent of Virginians, by contrast, call his tenure “too conservative.”

Spanberger’s shift on gerrymandering was revealed recently when referendum critics sent him his own remarks from 2019 in recent mailers, according to reports.

“Gerrymandering is harmful to our democracy and weakens the individual voices that make up our electorate. Opposing gerrymandering should be a bipartisan priority,” Spanberger tweeted six years ago, reflecting on Virginia’s ultimately successful bid to remove the power to redraw the map from the partisan legislature.

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But Spanberger’s office recently denied allegations that there was any internal collusion involving him to help elect more Democrats, particularly in the case of the Second Congressional District in Hampton Roads and the East Coast.

Spanberger has also faced criticism for taking a moderate stance in Congress while supporting common-sense reforms and pivoting toward gun control, touting his background as a former armed CIA agent and postal inspector to a governor ready to sign sweeping gun bans crafted by far-left Fairfax Democrats.

“I am a mother of three daughters who attend Virginia Public Schools. I am also a former federal agent who carries a gun every day as part of my job,” she said. 2025 rally. “So I come to this issue as someone who cares deeply about the safety of our children and understands the responsibilities of owning and carrying a firearm.”

A welcome sign has been placed in the lawn near the intersection of Lee Highway, Key Bridge, and George Washington Memorial Parkway in Rosslyn, Arlington County, Virginia. (Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

The redistricting referendum has been criticized for unfairly strengthening Spanberger’s core counties, as the five newly drawn districts will emerge from Fairfax and encompass the voices of rural central and West Virginia — and critics will be overly vocal.

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In particular, in such a district that critics say is unfavorably lobster-shaped, there are already three major Democratic candidates, even though the referendum is not officially decided by voters until April 21: State Del. Gun Control bill sponsor Fairfax. Dan Helmer, former First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe and former Jack Smith aide JP Cooney.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Spanberger for comment.