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Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is touting a series of major business investments as part of a new jobs push, but each of the headline projects she highlighted was first announced under her Republican predecessor, Glenn Youngkin.<\/span><\/p>\n Spanberger <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> she had signed legislation tied to several high-dollar investments across the Commonwealth, including projects from Avio USA, Hitachi Energy, Eli Lilly and Company, and AstraZeneca. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAttracting new companies and jobs to communities across our Commonwealth is a core focus of my administration,\u201d she posted on social media.<\/p>\n Collectively, the deals represent billions in capital investment and thousands of jobs in regions like Pittsylvania, Halifax, Goochland, and Albemarle counties. The announcement lacked details, but they were found in the press release<\/a> sent to local journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n However, each of those projects had already been publicly announced during Youngkin\u2019s administration, in some cases months earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, state and corporate leaders emphasized the long-term economic impact these projects would have on the Commonwealth. Then-Gov. Youngkin described Hitachi Energy\u2019s $457 million expansion in South Boston as a \u201clandmark investment.\u201d Unveiled in September 2025, the project is expected to create more than 800 high-paying jobs in a historically underserved region. Youngkin described the project as \u201ctransformational for Southside Virginia,\u201d noting that the facility would strengthen the electrical grid supply chain.<\/span><\/p>\n AstraZeneca characterized its Virginia investment as a \u201ccornerstone\u201d of its broader U.S. manufacturing push aimed at boosting domestic pharmaceutical production and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains. <\/span>Similarly, Avio USA\u2019s planned rocket motor manufacturing facility, a roughly $500 million investment announced in late 2025, was framed by Youngkin as significant for both national security and Virginia\u2019s growing aerospace sector. <\/span><\/p>\n Eli Lilly\u2019s project was likewise presented as a generational investment in both public health and regional growth, with company officials highlighting its role in producing cutting-edge treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases while anchoring a growing life sciences corridor in Virginia.<\/span><\/p>\n The move comes as Spanberger faces mounting political headwinds early in her tenure. Recent polling has shown her support slipping, particularly among independents, the very voters who delivered her victory, alongside growing skepticism about her leadership and economic agenda. As <\/span>previously reported<\/span><\/a>, concerns about affordability and governance have already begun to erode her standing.<\/span><\/p>\n Polling shows that 41% of Virginians believe Spanberger\u2019s policies will make the state less affordable, compared to 31% who say she will make it more affordable, with independents breaking sharply negative. Even among Democrats, a notable share of respondents say her policies will either have no impact or worsen costs.<\/p>\n The numbers reinforce ongoing concern about economic conditions in the state. Against that backdrop, highlighting investments, even those initiated under the Youngkin administration, offers a clear political upside. Spanberger can point to job creation, business recruitment, and economic wins that were aggressively pursued, prioritized, and developed by her Republican predecessor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Taken together, the episode reads less like a routine policy announcement and more like policy piracy, an attempt to associate her administration with economic successes that voters already recognize, even if they were delivered by someone else. <\/span>In Virginia politics, where economic development is often a long game, the timeline matters. And in this case, it points squarely back to the previous administration.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n