By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Virginia voters are closely divided on Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s job performance less than three months into her term, including a 10-point deficit saying her policies make the state less affordable.
A new poll points to affordability as a key concern shaping early views of her administration, a subject she and other Democrats campaigned on last fall.
The Washington Post-Schar School poll found 47% of registered voters approve of Spanberger’s performance, while 46% disapprove and 7% are undecided. The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from the governor.
Spanberger’s approval falls below levels seen by many recent Virginia governors in the same polling series, where most topped 50%. Her disapproval rating is also higher than most of her predecessors in the survey.
More voters said Spanberger’s policies would make Virginia less affordable, at 41%, than said they would make the state more affordable, at 31%. Others said her policies would not make a difference.
That finding contrasts with Spanberger’s campaign and early governing agenda, which has focused on lowering costs for housing, healthcare and energy.
In recent weeks, the governor has signed legislation targeting prescription drug costs, housing supply and certain energy-related expenses. Her office has described those measures as part of a broader effort to ease financial pressure on Virginia families.
The poll offers a more detailed look at how voters view specific policies tied to affordability.
Several proposals drew more positive responses when evaluated individually. About 51% of voters said requiring electric utilities to help low-income customers improve home energy efficiency would make Virginia more affordable. Another 46% said raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028 would have the same effect, while 44% said reducing regulations on small solar panel systems would make the state more affordable.
Other measures, including expanding mixed-income housing and limiting certain health insurance requirements, also received more favorable responses than negative ones.
Some proposals drew more skepticism.
About 41% of voters said providing up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave funded by higher payroll taxes would make Virginia less affordable. Increasing renter protections also drew more responses indicating it would raise costs than lower them.
Individual policies generally received more favorable responses, even as more voters said overall affordability would worsen.
The poll also found that 45% of voters view Spanberger as too liberal, compared to 42% who say her positions are about right and a smaller share who see her as too conservative.
Spanberger took office in January following a decisive victory in the 2025 gubernatorial election, where she emphasized economic issues and positioned herself as a candidate focused on lowering costs.
The Washington Post-Schar School poll surveyed 1,101 registered Virginia voters from March 26-31 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%.
