Abigail Spanberger makes history being sworn in as Virginia’s first female governor
History made as US state sees first female governor sworn in
- Abigail Spanberger made history by being sworn in as Virginia’s first female governor on Saturday, ending centuries of male leadership in the state’s highest office.
- A Democrat, Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin.
- The day also saw Ghazala R Hashmi become the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the US as lieutenant governor, and Jay Jones sworn in as Virginia’s first Black attorney general.
- Spanberger, a former CIA case officer and member of Congress, is the state’s 75th governor, marking a historic first since Virginia became a commonwealth in 1776.
- Her choice to wear all white for the inauguration is interpreted as a potential tribute to the women’s suffrage movement.