NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Welcomed by about 200 people chanting her name, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger took the stage Friday afternoon at a downtown Norfolk restaurant in her Democratic bid to become Virginia’s first woman governor.
The theme for her appearance at Brothers Restaurant was making the Commonwealth more affordable.
“I hear from people who are impacted by the challenges we are facing in affordability here in the Commonwealth,” Spanberger said, “whether it’s at the pharmacy counter, the grocery store, when they get their energy bill or on the housing market.”
Spanberger outlined her positions on important issues while facing the media prior to the event.
Virginia has been a right-to-work state for decades, meaning workers cannot be forced to join a labor union. Spanberger told WAVY sister station WRIC earlier this month she would consider “reform” to right-to-work.
“I do not support a full repeal of the right-to-work statute here in Virginia,” Spanberger said, adding that she would be in favor of allowing state employees to be able to collectively bargain.
The mother of three said she supports a woman’s right to choose.
“I am pro-choice, and I think that those decisions should be left between a woman and her doctor,” Spanberger said. “I support the constitutional amendment that is moving forward in Virginia that would enshrine that right.”
Spanberger said she carried a firearm as a CIA operations officer for nine years. She favors red-flag laws that would restrict gun ownership for people in crisis.
“People with access to firearms in the middle of a mental health crisis frequently turn that firearm on themselves, on a domestic partner, or in many cases, the law enforcement officer responding to a 911 call,” she said. “And so I support red flag laws.”
Recent polls have Spanberger with a lead over Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, but Spanberger said “it’s still early and I’m not taking anything for granted.”
