Woke Governor STEALS Praise For Predecessor’s $7B Deal

Virginia’s new Democratic governor just signed bills worth $7.1 billion in business investments that her Republican predecessor spent a year negotiating, and she’s taking full credit without mentioning his name once.

Story Snapshot

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced $7.1 billion in investments from four major companies, but all deals were publicly announced and negotiated during Glenn Youngkin’s administration in 2025.
Company CEOs including AstraZeneca’s chief explicitly thanked “Governor Youngkin and his team for their energy and vision” when announcing their Virginia expansions.
Spanberger’s press release emphasized her role in creating a “stable business environment” without crediting Youngkin, who secured a record $156 billion in commitments during his single term.
The controversy erupted as Spanberger sits at 47% approval rating, below historical averages for Virginia governors.

The Art of Political Inheritance

Abigail Spanberger signed four bipartisan bills in early April 2026 authorizing investments from Avio USA, Hitachi Energy, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca. Her office trumpeted 3,250 new jobs across aerospace, energy infrastructure, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The announcement positioned these wins as evidence of her administration’s economic prowess. One problem: every single company announced their Virginia expansion while Glenn Youngkin sat in the governor’s mansion, with executives publicly praising his team’s work. The investments totaled $537 million from Avio USA for rocket motor production, $457 million from Hitachi Energy for electrical grid equipment, and pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca committing billions more.

When the Timeline Tells a Different Story

The facts are stubborn. Throughout 2025, these four corporations held press conferences and issued statements about their Virginia commitments. AstraZeneca’s CEO didn’t mince words, thanking “Governor Youngkin and his team for their energy and vision” for making the deal happen. Youngkin’s economic development team worked directly with company executives to negotiate incentive packages, identify sites like the Southern Virginia Multimodal Park, and secure commitments that required legislative approval. By the time Youngkin left office, his administration claimed $156 billion in total CEO commitments, exceeding the combined total of Virginia’s previous six governors. Spanberger inherited the legislative paperwork, signed the enabling bills that passed with bipartisan support, and issued press releases framing the deals as her administration’s achievement.

She has no success of her own, so she claims his.
The Democrat way…
Impeach this fraud, Virginia.
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OF COURSE: New Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Takes Credit for Investments Secured by Her Republican Predecessor Glenn Youngkin https://t.co/zS645RIeUJ

— Chuck Nellis The Phoenix (@ChuckThePhoenix) April 10, 2026

The Political Calculation Behind the Credit Grab

Spanberger faces political headwinds that make these announcements particularly valuable. A Washington Post-Schar poll put her approval at 47%, below typical benchmarks for governors in their honeymoon period. Her “Growing Virginia Plan” echoes Youngkin’s pro-business framework, focusing on workforce development and infrastructure improvements, but lacks signature wins she can claim as original achievements. Taking credit for $7.1 billion in investments creates the appearance of immediate economic impact, even if the heavy lifting happened before she took the oath of office. Her press release carefully avoided mentioning Youngkin’s name, instead emphasizing her commitment to a “stable business environment” as the catalyst for corporate confidence. This is textbook political opportunism, the kind that makes voters cynical about whether politicians care more about headlines than honesty.

What Conservative Principles Reveal About This Moment

This controversy illustrates a broader truth about government’s role in economic development. Youngkin’s team created conditions that attracted investment: competitive tax structures, streamlined permitting, workforce training partnerships, and a regulatory environment that didn’t punish success. These aren’t abstractions. Avio USA committed to building the second-largest aerospace facility in Southern Virginia history in Pittsylvania County. Hitachi Energy will manufacture electrical grid components in Halifax County. Eli Lilly chose Goochland County for pharmaceutical production. These companies responded to specific policies and incentives negotiated over months. Spanberger’s role was procedural, signing bipartisan legislation that formalized commitments already made. Claiming credit for someone else’s work violates basic standards of honesty, but it also reveals a transactional view of governance where optics matter more than substance.

The Jobs Are Real, But So Is the Record

The 3,250 jobs coming to Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Goochland counties represent real opportunity for Virginia families, particularly in rural areas that need economic investment. Rocket motor production, energy infrastructure manufacturing, and pharmaceutical development offer high-skill, high-wage employment that can transform communities. Nobody disputes the value of these projects. The question is who deserves credit for making them happen. Spanberger’s office claims she has announced $580 million in new investments since taking office, a fraction of the $7.1 billion total she’s now touting. The bipartisan General Assembly deserves recognition for passing enabling legislation unanimously. But the executives who made the commitments were clear about who earned their trust. When AstraZeneca’s leadership thanked Youngkin by name for his “energy and vision,” they weren’t engaging in partisan politics; they were acknowledging the reality of who negotiated the deal.