Imagine being the governor of a state and celebrating the fact that thousands of your own constituents are losing their jobs. That’s exactly what Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is doing in Virginia, openly cheering on job cuts caused by Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless destruction of the federal workforce. In my interview with former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger—who’s now running to replace Youngkin as governor—she made one thing clear: Virginia deserves leadership that actually gives a damn about Virginians.
Youngkin had the audacity to say, “I don’t believe that federal government downsizing is wrong… I do expect that some Virginians will lose their jobs.” He’s not just indifferent to people losing their livelihoods—he’s actively rooting for it. And to add insult to injury, he set up a pathetic website called “Virginia Has Jobs,” which doesn’t actually help anyone but instead sends people to LinkedIn and Indeed with a “good luck” message. What kind of leader does this?
Spanberger has traveled across the state, visiting red, blue, and purple areas alike, and the message is the same everywhere: Virginians are terrified. They’re getting blindsided with emails telling them their jobs are gone. They’re watching friends, neighbors, and even military spouses suddenly find themselves without work. And the economic consequences are massive—according to the University of Virginia, just a 10% reduction in the federal workforce would mean 39,000 jobs lost and a staggering $6 billion hit to Virginia’s economy. But Youngkin and his GOP allies don’t care.
Instead of addressing real issues—job security, affordable housing, education, healthcare—the GOP is out here celebrating nonsense like changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” As Spanberger pointed out, not a single Virginian has brought that up to her on the campaign trail. You know what they do bring up? The fact that grocery prices are still too high, that teachers are underpaid, that healthcare costs are crushing families. The Republican Party has become a clown show, focused on performative garbage while real people suffer.
Spanberger is offering Virginians a choice. As governor, she would fight for public schools, work to lower costs, strengthen communities, and protect reproductive rights—something Virginia has uniquely held onto while every other Southern state has moved backward. And beyond Virginia, this race matters for the whole country. As she put it, Virginia is the bellwether. Winning in 2025 will send a message that Democrats are mobilized and ready to win in 2026 and 2028.
To learn more about Spanberger’s campaign, visit AbigailSpanberger.com. Virginia’s election is the first major battle of the next political cycle, and a Spanberger victory would be a massive warning shot to Trump, Musk, and the GOP billionaires trying to destroy our democracy.
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