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was originally reported by Mel Leonor Barclay of .听

During a recent campaign stop in central Virginia on a sweltering afternoon, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger drew the most energized reaction from the crowd after telling the audience that aside from tackling the high cost of living, her focus as governor would be on ensuring Virginia has 鈥渢he best public schools in the nation.鈥�

Four years ago, Republican Glenn Youngkin won an upset victory for the state鈥檚 highest office by turning his attention to education: Youngkin鈥檚 鈥淧arents Matter鈥� rallies stoked frustration at pandemic-era school closures and masking rules, railed against how schools were teaching students about race and LGBTQ+ issues and promised to expand alternatives to traditional public schools. Youngkin lambasted the state鈥檚 test scores, and turned the inclusion of transgender kids in schools into a political lightning rod.

Youngkin鈥檚 message gave him an edge in Democratic strongholds around Northern Virginia, and while that region remains solidly blue for Democrats, data shows Trump and Republicans have held onto sizable gains there since the 2020 election. It also turbocharged Republicans鈥� war against diversity, equity and inclusion by putting kids at the center.

Now, as Spanberger campaigns to retake Virginia鈥檚 top office for Democrats, her strategy on public education could offer a playbook for a party that political analysts say has struggled to come up with a clear agenda to counter Republicans鈥� messaging. Her performance will help shape her party鈥檚 stance heading into the 2026 midterms, much like Youngkin鈥檚 election did for Republicans in 2021.

The Virginia governor鈥檚 race between Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is one of the only competitive statewide contests on the calendar this year and will be closely watched as a referendum on President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term and a test of Democrats鈥� path forward following last year鈥檚 searing losses.

In speeches, statements and multiple interviews with The 19th, Spanberger said she is focused on making life more affordable for all Virginians and stemming what she described as the 鈥渃haos鈥� of the Trump administration. She is also focused on countering Republicans鈥� efforts to 鈥渆rode faith in our public schools,鈥� and wants to make sure the state is contending with the challenges of teacher shortages, crumbling school buildings and post-pandemic academic recovery.

With two women at the top of the ballot, Virginia is poised to elect its first woman governor this year. If Spanberger wins, the state will be run by a former lawmaker with a law enforcement and intelligence background, and 鈥� for the first time 鈥� a mom to school-aged children. Spanberger鈥檚 daughters are enrolled in public schools around central Virginia, one each in elementary, middle and high school.

Recently, a whirlwind day of campaigning ended with a busy evening at home prepping a Wicked costume for a school spirit day. She tries to be home for either hair braiding and school drop off in the morning, or by bedtime to tuck them in at night.

Still, Spanberger isn鈥檛 dwelling much on the historic potential, but during a recent event with Black ministers, she said a question about how schools should educate students on history and race illustrated how actively parenting shapes her views and helps her connect with voters.

鈥淚t matters to other people,鈥� Spanberger said. 鈥淥ne of the gentlemen at the round table came back to me and said, that was the most important thing that you said 鈥� how you see it as a mother.鈥�

Earle-Sears campaigned alongside Youngkin in 2021, backing many of his promises on education. 鈥淪he will prioritize parents鈥� rights and basic reading and math skills over ideological grandstanding,鈥� Earle-Sears鈥� website reads. The lieutenant governor is also promising to expand alternatives to traditional public schools in the state 鈥� Virginia Republicans have charter schools and vouchers for private school tuition 鈥� and 鈥渆mpower parents to choose the best school for their children.鈥�

Earle-Sears has also said she supports Trump鈥檚 policies on transgender students, and will promote policies in Virginia that exclude transgender girls from girls鈥� bathrooms, locker rooms and sporting teams.

Spanberger unveiled her agenda for the state鈥檚 public schools Friday with an event in Portsmouth that marked the launch of a new coalition of supporters called 鈥淧arents and Educators for Spanberger.鈥� The group will highlight her support for strengthening the state鈥檚 schools and her 鈥渇ocus on academic excellence.鈥�

According to a copy of the plan shared with The 19th, as governor, Spanberger will focus on championing the state鈥檚 public schools, lobbying to cover funding gaps for school operations created by the state and the federal government, and oppose efforts to create vouchers for private education. Spanberger also promised to lobby state lawmakers for funding to fix old and dilapidated schools.

The Democrat said she will also prioritize addressing the state鈥檚 teacher shortage by boosting recruitment and mentorship, and raising teacher pay, though she did not commit to a specific raise amount.

Citing reports that the state is lagging behind when it comes to reversing the learning losses of the pandemic, Spanberger said she will make sure schools have the resources they need to help students meet learning standards and uphold 鈥渁cademic excellence and rigor.鈥� She鈥檒l also direct the state to update its best practices for school safety.

During the Portsmouth event, Spanberger told the audience about her experience watching one of her daughters struggle with reading. 鈥淢y little girl was having a little bit of trouble getting where she needed to be,鈥� Spanberger said. It was her public school teacher, Spanberger told the audience, who worked 鈥渢irelessly鈥� to turn things around and built a child who is now an eager reader.

鈥淲e need to focus on ensuring that we are not playing games, that we are not using teachers or parents or educators as political pawns,鈥� Spanberger said. 鈥淲e need to focus on the results that matter to our kids.鈥�

A poll out of Virginia Commonwealth University found that education is the top issue for nearly 1 out of every 10 voters.

Spanberger鈥檚 event highlighted her efforts to refocus voters on the challenges facing public schools and hurting student learning, and away from the culture-war issues that have dominated the political conversation around education.

Republicans have increasingly seized on the inclusion of transgender children and teens in public schools, including in the most recent presidential election when GOP ads attacking trans rights in the last few weeks of the campaign. It was Youngkin back in 2021 who on the issue as part of a broader message on school safety and parents鈥� rights, and his upset victory in Virginia cemented it in Republicans鈥� election playbook.

This cycle, Spanberger is hoping to reset the terms of the conversation. Republican policies, she said, are disempowering parents and local communities, and hurting vulnerable children.

鈥淎s a parent, my heart goes out to the parents who are just trying to do right by their kids and don’t want to see their kids at the center of a political back and forth, or a political punching bag,鈥� Spanberger said.

鈥淚t’s easy to get people kind of confused and scared, and that I find to be the really unfortunate thing.鈥�

Spanberger said Republican members of Congress and Trump are going after 鈥渢he basic provision of health care that a parent is able to get for their kid.鈥� And federal and state level policies banning transgender students from some sports teams are throwing out a process that 鈥渨as driven by parents, teachers and coaches鈥� under the purview of the state鈥檚 sporting league.

Earle-Sears鈥� campaign did not respond to a request for comment on her education agenda, but in a with a local TV station, Earle-Sears said that if Virginia districts don鈥檛 willingly create private spaces and sporting teams according to students鈥� sex at birth, she would sign legislation forcing them to. (Separately, the Trump administration is threatening to from Virginia districts who don鈥檛 do away with inclusive policies around transgender students.)

Earle-Sears said squarely that the issue of transgender student inclusion is driving parents away from public schools.

鈥淭hat’s why parents are saying, you know what, give us our tax money and let us make the decision on where to send our children to school,鈥� Earle-Sears told WJLA, adding that some parents are turning to private schools, parochial schools and to homeschooling. She called schools that refuse to adopt such policies 鈥渞ogue schools鈥� that some parents feel 鈥減it me against my child.鈥�

Spanberger has not outright opposed charter schools, but is opposed to policies that would 鈥渟iphon鈥� funding from traditional public schools.

During the 2021 campaign, Republicans in Virginia tapped parent frustrations over school closures and rules mandating masking in schools, creating a gateway for a national cultural critique of teachers and school leaders. It was a time of 鈥渆xtreme, really unprecedented parental frustration,鈥� said Jon Valant, the director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

鈥淓specially as more research came out about how schools were opening and it seemed safe, Democrats found themselves on their heels politically. You had a very potent political argument from Republicans saying, 鈥榯hese public schools are shut down when you want your kids to be in school 鈥� they’re not listening to you. They screwed up their pandemic response. Who do you trust on education?鈥�

鈥淒emocrats could not figure out how to navigate that,鈥� Valant added.

For all of the attention on groups like Moms For Liberty, which leaned on the idea of 鈥減arents鈥� rights鈥� to promote in public schools, Valant said the group is no longer the political powerhouse it appeared to be years ago. Book bans proved unpopular among many voters, and Republican candidates for governor who campaigned with Youngkin and tried to borrow from his education playbook in subsequent election cycles their bids. That includes who lost to Gov. Laura Kelly in Kansas and who lost to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan.

While Democrats have become more effective at pushing back on Republican attacks, Valant said he doesn鈥檛 think 鈥渢here is a clear Democratic Party agenda on education policy. That is a challenge for the Democratic Party by the 2028 election.鈥�

Spanberger鈥檚 race in Virginia offers a trial run.

In an interview, the Democratic nominee said she could personally relate to the uneasiness many parents were feeling the last time Virginians elected a governor. 鈥淢y youngest daughter was in kindergarten when the schools shut down, and my oldest daughter was in middle school. My middle was in elementary school,鈥� Spanberger said.

鈥淚 know what it felt like to be a parent, where your kids just get sent home from school one day,鈥� she added. She described it as a really uneasy, fraught time for herself and many parents. 鈥淚鈥檓 watching them do school virtually, and it鈥檚 very clear that it鈥檚 certainly not the same. It’s very clear that they’re missing their friends, and they’re missing that social exposure, and they’re missing just the experience that comes with being in a classroom.鈥�

Spanberger said that landscape created a political opportunity. But four years later, she wants voters to reflect on the challenges that still face public schools and the legacy of an agenda she said created distrust in schools and demoralized teachers.

Spanberger pointed to the results of a recent national standardized test that measures student achievement in math and reading. Virginia fourth graders saw virtually no improvement in reading and slight improvement in math, while eighth graders did worse in both subjects. An by Harvard and Stanford universities that tried to measure pandemic academic recovery found that Virginia ranked 41st in reading recovery between 2019 and 2024, and 51st in math recovery.

The Youngkin administration said the scores reflected the 鈥渕assive learning loss鈥� that continues to persist from the pandemic. 鈥淲e had big work to do coming out of the pandemic,鈥� when the scores were released.

Spanberger also criticized the governor for a tip line he launched early in his administration that encouraged parents to report “inherently divisive practices” in schools, and that was criticized for . The tip line was about a year later. Youngkin聽 signed several teacher pay raises into law totaling $1.6 billion while in office, but last year that would have brought Virginia teacher salaries to match the national average, arguing that data from a national teachers鈥� union on the matter was flawed. The union reported that Virginia in teacher pay.

鈥淒uring this time of recovery, there’s this governor who said he prioritized public education, but what did he actually do? You want to prioritize public education, but you’re going to vilify teachers?鈥� Spanberger said.

鈥淚 have three daughters in Virginia public schools, and I know everything that is possible for so many kids is dependent on the education that they do or don’t get in our public schools,鈥� Spanberger said. 鈥淎nd so, education is a priority issue for me, but it’s actually contending with the real issues related to education.鈥�

Early voting in Virginia starts September 19. The general election is November 4.

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