Spanberger Becomes Historic Governor, Signs 10 Executive Orders

Claudia Bunea and Alli McElwain • Feb 3, 2026

Women Make Strides in the Commonwealth and Nationally

In January 2026, two female Democrat governors, Abigail Spanberger (Virginia) and Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey), were inaugurated in their respective states. Abigail Spanberger, the former 7th district representative of Virginia, and Mikie Sherrill, the former 11th district representative of New Jersey, made history as the first female governor of Virginia and the second female governor of New Jersey. Spanberger was inaugurated on Jan. 17, 2026 and Sherrill was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2026.

Ironically, Governor Sherill was born in Alexandria, Virginia and went to South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia and Governor Spanberger was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, Sherrill became the first female veteran to become governor not only in the state of New Jersey but in all of American government. Spanberger’s past experience of being a Central Intelligence Agency employee defines her determination for strong national security, counterterrorism and safety.

Governors Spanberger and Sherrill both initially won a Congressional seat in 2016. In 2017, the two met at a Congressional retreat which developed their friendship. When Spanberger began campaigning for reelection in 2018, Sherrill’s sister worked as a volunteer for the campaign. Fast forward two years, Spanberger’s and Sherill’s hard work and strong leadership clearly showed as they both won reelection.

From there they decided to collaborate and help each other through the new process as they roomed in DC together. Presently, Spanberger and Sherrill continue to be friends and plan to support each other as two of the fourteen female governors in the United States.

In Abigail Spanberger’s first day in office as Virginia’s newly elected governor, she has signed several executive orders to carry out her mission to build a more affordable future for Virginians. Here are summaries of Spanberger’s ten day-one executive orders:

EO-1: Governor’s Secretaries and all executive agencies are required to submit reports within 90 days identifying policy changes that would reduce costs for Virginians in areas of housing, living expenses, education and more.

EO-2: The Interagency Health Financing Task Force within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources was established to create a financing strategy with the goal of strengthening Virginia’s healthcare infrastructure while improving efficient allocation of federal funding.

EO-3: The Commission on Unlocking Housing Production was established to advise the Governor on strategies to increase the supply of housing. Also, a multi-agency review was directed to evaluate regulations that affect housing development and to reduce barriers in housing production.

Spanberger and Sherrill pose for a selfie.

EO-4: The Department of Education was directed to strengthen instructional systems for literacy, math, school accountability and assessment. This includes improving the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act and expanding access to advanced math. Also, the order directed the Secretary of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to affirm the rights of students, parents and teachers regardless of their background.

EO-5: The Economic Resiliency Task Force was established to coordinate a state-wide response to federal workforce reductions, funding cuts and immigration changes. Also, the goal is to address the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Medicaid and SNAP in Virginia.

EO-6: The Department of Education, with the collaboration of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, to evaluate the process of appointing members to public higher education governing boards, known as Boards of Visitors.

EO-7: The Chief of Staff has the authority to declare a state of emergency or activate the Virginia National Guard, in the case that the Governor is unreachable. However, the Governor still remains the ultimate authority to act in these matters.

EO-8: The Chief of Staff is granted deputy budgetary, planning and administrative authority. The Governor still holds the final decision-making power.

EO-9: A non-discrimination policy was enacted across state government to prohibit discrimination in employment, appointments, procurement and public services for a broad range of protected classes. It also calls for affirmative measures to be taken that emphasize “recruitment of qualified minorities…to serve at all levels of state government.” These measures cannot lower job requirements or standards of performance for state employment.

EO-10: Executive Order 47 was rescinded, which previously required state and local law enforcement to divert their resources to enforce federal immigration laws. Now, law enforcement is focused on carrying out their other core responsibilities.

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About the Contributors

Claudia Bunea, Editor-in-chief

Claudia Bunea, a senior at West Po, is looking forward to her last year on The Wire. As an editor-in-chief, she is excited to write all kinds of articles, from student life to government. She’s actively involved in her school’s community, as she is co-founder of Geography Club and a member of Debate Team. Outside of school, Claudia enjoys reading and spending time with her guinea pig. She plans to major in political science in college.

Alli McElwain, Reporter

In her free time, Alli McElwain, senior, enjoys shopping, thrifting and traveling. One of her biggest inspirations is Gracie Abrams because of how expressive she is. Alli considers herself to be open-minded and able to see situations from many perspectives. She hopes to make an impact on the school community this year through journalism!