Governor Abigail Spanberger’s public image will be tested on election night, analyst says

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Governor Abigail Spanberger is not on the ballot next week, but her governorship may be, according to an analyst with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Jeff Schapiro said what happens next Tuesday looks both back and forward at the governor’s role in Richmond. Democrats already in office may have a bigger role than most expect on those who want to be in office.

“The governor is the titular head of the Democratic Party in Virginia, and having won by the biggest margin achieved by a Democratic candidate in over 60 plus years, she has considerable standing,” Schapiro said.

Spanberger won the governor’s race by 15 points. Schapiro said that margin may have been an indicator of a coming blue wave in this year’s election. But there may be a problem.

“What Virginians saw during the campaign and what they saw in the early days of her administration didn’t really match up,” Schapiro said.

And that, Schapiro says, could bring more Republicans to the polls this November. Spanberger may not have been the moderate they thought was coming, and she may not be far enough left for some Democrats.

“I think that has really contributed to her somewhat diminished standing, at least in these public opinion polls,” Schapiro said.

Spanberger’s win boosted the spirit of the Democratic Party, Schapiro says. But the coming election will be the true test of her public image.

Schapiro will join 29 News as a special analyst on election night, Nov. 3.

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