BILLY SHIELDS: Good evening and thank you for joining us for special coverage of Governor Glenn Youngkins final State of the Commonwealth Address.

We're live from the Old Senate Chamber in Virginia's Capitol building here in Richmond.

I'm your host, Billy Shields, with VPM News.

Tonight, Governor Youngkin will recap the achievements of his four years in the executive mansion in his farewell address to the General Assembly.

The governor is expected to talk about the state's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, making Virginia a more welcoming place for businesses, improving academic achievement, overhauling the state's behavioral health care system and decreasing crime and drug overdose deaths.

For the first half of Youngkin's term, Republicans controlled the governor's mansion and both the House of Delegates and the Senate.

Republicans delivered tax cuts, limited cell phone use in schools and attacked the fentanyl crisis.

Democrats took control of both chambers in 2024 and their legislative agenda led Youngkin to issue more vetoes than any other governor in Virginia history.

399 in total.

In December, he released his final budget, which includes a $72 billion spending plan and some $730 million in additional tax cuts.

A budget that mirrored the federal cuts in President Donald Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

But Virginia's budget process is quirky for administrations on their way out.

The outgoing governor submits a budget without being able to officially influence whether or how it gets implemented.

His proposals will likely see many changes, as Democratic Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger takes the oath of office this weekend, becoming Virginia's 75th governor, as well as the first woman governor in the Commonwealth's history.

Tonight's speech also marks the beginning of the 2026 General Assembly session, where Democrats will control both chambers and the governor's mansion, meaning that the budget will likely end up being overhauled more than simply tweaked.

On the campaign trail, Spanberger outlined priorities that include raising the minimum wage, establishing paid family leave and medical leave, eliminating the car tax and a variety of other measures to lower Virginians cost of living.

Coming up, well go live to the House of Delegates chamber, where Governor Youngkin will likely be met with a standing ovation from Virginia's legislature.

Let's listen in as he outlines the state of the commonwealth in his final address.

[music] [music] [inaudible] [inaudible] [gavel bangs] DON SCOTT: The House will come to order.

Sergeant at Arms.

SGT.

AT ARMS: Mr.

President, His Excellency the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

SCOTT: The members will receive the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] Joint Assembly and guests, please be seated.

As speaker of the House of Delegates and president of the Joint Assembly it is my pleasure to present to you His Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Honorable Glenn Youngkin [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] GLENN YOUNGKIN: Thank you.

[applause and cheering] YOUNGKIN: Thank you all very much.

What an honor it is to be with all of you this evening, Mr.

Speaker.

Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears.

Madam President, Attorney General Miyares.

Members of the General Assembly.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Powell.

And congratulations.

Justices of the Virginia Supreme Court and judges of the State Corporation Commission.

Our Clerks, members of my Cabinet and my fellow Virginians.

It's an honor to join you once again in Mr.

Jefferson's capital for my report on the state of our beloved Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth is soaring.

The Commonwealth is alive with opportunity.

The Commonwealth is competing and winning.

The Commonwealth is stronger today than she has ever been.

[applause and cheering] This is the state of the Commonwealth that I have had the immense honor of serving these past four years.

Fortunately, this service journey has not been a solitary one.

As I prepare to hand the key to the Governor's mansion over to the Governor-elect, Spanberger, I look around this room and I'm filled with gratitude.

Filled with gratitude because I see so many men and women who have been involved in Virginia's incredible transformation, a transformation we have witnessed, and we have led together.

And so to the Lieutenant Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, and Attorney General Jason Mijares.

To members of my Cabinet and my administration, you have sacrificed so much.

You have served with everything you have and you've delivered for Virginians.

Thank you.

[applause and cheering] To our General Assembly partners.

Most times I've agreed with many of you.

Sometimes Ive disagreed with some of you.

Frequently, you have been in my prayers.

And always, always, I have considered you to be devoted public servants.

Thank you for your partnership.

The absolute best part of this season of service has been traveling every step of the way with the love of my life.

She has brought grace and joy to the lives of so many Virginians.

Thank you to our most extraordinary First Lady, Suzanne Youngkin.

[applause and cheering] And finally, thank you to my fellow Virginians.

To say thank you comes nowhere close to conveying the proud and profound sense of gratitude that I feel.

Gratitude that this home-grown Virginian who was hired and given the chance to go to work, for now, more than 8.8 million Virginians.

Now, I do feel like I've met almost all 8.8 million of you.

From Loudoun County to Danville.

From the Eastern Shore to Lee County and everywhere in between, I've met incredible Virginians.

Like the small business owner who courageously started his first shop and then expanded to two and then to three.

Virginians like our teachers, who are exciting our students about learning and helping them discover their passion in life.

Like the nurse who is empowering a fellow Virginian to leave behind a life of addiction and start leading a life of hope.

Like the farmer who rain or shine, makes sure the animals get fed and the fields get plowed.

Like the shipbuilders who arrive at the dock when it is dark each morning and who are building the most powerful navy in the world.

[applause] Brave Virginians like our law enforcement heroes who put on a bulletproof vest every day to go to work to keep us safe.

Our amazing men and women who wear the cloth and serve our country.

From the 150,000 active duty service members to the reservists to the great Virginia National Guard, who has served Virginia since 1607.

[applause] Remarkable Virginians.

Remarkable Virginians like the families of the fallen.

No moments over these last four years have impacted me more than standing with families as we hear the end of watch and say goodbye to these quiet heroes.

And to our newest Virginians who didn't grow up here but found opportunity here and now, call Virginia home.

All of you, all of you have deep, deep, deep impacts on our great commonwealth.

And therefore, I say thank you.

It is you who have been the driving force for all we've accomplished over these past four years.

Thank you for believing that we could change the trajectory of a Commonwealth that was stalled and make her soar.

Thank you for showing that we can strengthen the spirit of Virginia together.

Four years ago, Virginia was in a very different place.

I was humbled recently when someone described what has taken place over these past four years as the great Virginia Renaissance.

A renaissance that reflected the real and widespread challenges that we faced.

Our schools were 46th in the nation to reopen.

Parents were being sidelined and students were falling behind.

Virginia had the largest learning loss in the nation in fourth grade learning, reading and math.

25,000 small businesses had closed their doors in 2021.

Job recovery lagged behind nearly every other state.

Violent crime had surged with a 20-year-high murder rate.

And for nine straight years, more people moved away than moved to Virginia from the other 49 states.

That was Virginia in January 2022.

A Virginia that was lagging and not leading.

But amid these challenges, we all of us saw Virginia with boundless potential just waiting to be unleashed.

And so four years ago, collectively, we set out on a journey, a journey to unleash opportunity to transform government, to make Virginia the very best place to live and work and raise a family.

We could reduce tax burdens, lowering the cost of living for Virginians and generate record state revenue.

We could restore educational excellence and see our students perform even better.

We could enforce the laws and have the lowest recidivism rate in the nation.

We could overhaul our behavioral health system and transform foster care so our kids are safe and families are strong.

We could provide historic tax relief to our veterans and honor them and their families with award-winning care and support.

We could lead the nation in connecting Virginians to high speed broadband and invest record amounts in our roads and our bridges and our tunnels.

We could transform the great city of Petersburg through a historic partnership and accelerate economic activity in Southwest.

We could deliver hundreds of millions of dollars of procurement savings and serve all Virginians with best in class constituent services.

We could protect free speech and keep our campuses safe.

We said we would measure outcomes not in terms of activity, but by actual results.

And we also said there are some things about which there can be no debate.

That we must grow.

And we could grow like never before.

That we want Virginia to be a winning state with more jobs, more opportunity, more people.

Not a losing state, shedding businesses and people.

That we must make Virginia the place where companies want to build their future.

Businesses like Lego and Eli Lilly.

Like AstraZeneca and Hitachi.

And not impose anti-business policies that chase jobs and opportunity away.

We committed that we would stop doing what doesn't work and start doing more of what does work.

And what we know works is common sense.

And by putting common sense into action, we've achieved the kind of transformation very few people thought was possible.

This transformation started with business investment and jobs and declaring on day one that Virginia is open for business.

Over and over again, I heard the same refrain from Virginians, “We want jobs, good paying jobs.” But Virginia needed to start competing and Virginia, needed to start winning.

We worked together to build an economic development machine.

A machine that is unleashing opportunity like never before.

Virginia is now a leader in life sciences, a leader in advanced manufacturing, a leader powering some of the most critical industries and supply chains.

Where Made in America once again means Made in Virginia.

Where day after day, [applause] Where day after day Virginians from all walks of life are hearing those magical three words.

You are hired.

On day one, we went to work to build that dynamic economy.

We streamline regulations by 35%, saving Virginians $1.4 billion every year by cutting the cost of bureaucracy.

Including by reducing the average cost to build a home by $24,000.

We invested a record amount in business-ready sites and drove Virginia government to move at the speed of business.

We transformed workforce development, consolidating vast numbers of disparate programs into one new agency, Virginia Works.

And created the nation's leading customized talent development program, the Virginia Talent Accelerator.

We restructured the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and most importantly, we competed.

We competed to win.

And win we have.

We've won record business investment over $157 billion.

More than the last six administrations combined.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] We've grown over 20,000 new high growth startups, record investments that have fueled enormous job growth.

Nearly 270,000 more Virginians are working today than when we started together.

We have 255,000 open jobs, another 80,000 new jobs on the way from those investment commitments, along with 40,000 construction jobs.

Virginia has jobs.

Lots of jobs.

And Virginia is a winning state and the winning continues.

We announced in December Avio's $500 million plant, which is expected to employ 1500 people.

And we finalized two more great manufacturing deals last fall.

A $300 million plant that will employ over a thousand people in South Side and a $1.2 billion facility that will employ nearly 300 people in Virginia's Piedmont region.

We are leaving the next administration a robust pipeline of great projects that well exceeds $100 billion of capital investments and 32,000 jobs.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] Virginia has been on a tear because we have protected Right to Work.

And so I ask you, please hear me.

[applause and cheering] Please hear me.

Change Right to Work and jobs will disappear.

People will leave and they will take their tax dollars with them.

Keeping Virginia soaring means keeping Right to Work right where it is.

No amendments, no reforms, and no changes.

[applause] [applause] Keeping Virginia on a winning streak also means continuing to work and cooperate with our federal partners and the Trump administration.

Constructively working with the administration works for Virginians.

When a governor picks up the phone and calls a cabinet secretary to work through issues, it's good for Virginia.

Issues like turning on two and a half billion dollars of paused grants, attracting the Department of Housing and Urban Development headquarters with more than 2700 jobs to Virginia, recruiting Fortune 50 businesses with billions of investment and thousands of jobs, and delivering hurricane relief faster than any other state.

That is what is best for Virginia.

The record jobs and investments we've attracted have driven record revenues $10 billion in surplus revenue, 8% compounded revenue growth for four straight years.

60% faster than the previous decade.

And record revenue that enabled $9 billion in tax relief and still historic investments across every critical area.

And while throughout 2025, many predicted financial calamity, not only has financial calamity not happened, but once again Virginia is running a significant surplus.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] Yesterday, we announced December revenue results, a 20% increase over last December.

And year-to-date growth of $1.2 billion after just six months.

Revenues are growing at 8.6%.

Again, no COVID money, no one-time gifts, just historic revenue growth driven by historic business growth, job growth and strong consumer spending.

My budget that I introduced included a reforecast adding $1.2 billion in resources to fiscal year 2026 alone.

December just added another $395 million to that number.

Virginia has record resources.

I included $700 million more tax relief in my proposed budget and huge investment increases in Medicaid, education, law enforcement, capital spending.

And yet bills raising nearly every tax known to man have been introduced.

One thing we have clearly demonstrated is that lowering tax burdens brings people, it brings businesses, and it brings jobs.

Increasing taxes drives them away.

Just look at California and Illinois and New York and Maryland.

Indeed, in 2023, for the first time in ten years, more people moved to Virginia than moved away to the other 49 states.

Common sense works.

[applause] [applause] A significant part of that investment went to education, a record amount reflecting a $7 billion increase, 50% more since the pandemic.

Empowering Virginians to seize unlimited opportunity all starts in the classroom.

The pandemic wreaked havoc on Virginias students and families.

Schools were closed too long, unnecessarily.

As I said, we were 46th in the nation to reopen our schools.

The learning loss was devastating.

Standards were lowered.

Parents were pushed out of their children's lives, and we risked losing an entire generation if we didn't act quickly.

Restoring excellence in education has been our collective North Star.

It started with putting parents back at the head of the table in their children's lives because, well, parents matter.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] We, all of us, passed historic bipartisan legislation that allowed parents to choose if their child wore a mask and to allow parents to remove sexually explicit materials from their child's curriculum.

We're exciting students again by gaining the real world skills that they need to succeed after they graduate.

We've launched 15 new lab schools with space for 5000 students, and we already have a long waiting list.

Innovative lab schools from the maritime trades outside of the shipyards in Hampton Roads to space and aviation at Wallops Island.

To data science and coding in the Shenandoah Valley and in Richmond.

Health Care in Southwest and teachers in the rural Piedmont region.

And with our huge focus on career and technical education, four out of five Virginia high school students now graduate with a credential or a certificate.

[applause] Great education outcomes require a great teacher.

And we've supported teachers.

Teacher compensation is up nearly 20%.

Teacher vacancies are down 36%.

And Virginia was just recently ranked the number one state in America to be a teacher.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] We also embraced transparency and accountability and raised standards to drive better student outcomes.

Gone are the days of Virginia having the lowest proficiency base-- proficiency baseline in the country.

Cheating our students by shuffling them along, or worse, lying about whether they could read or do math at grade level.

We made our standardized tests harder and the students did better, including a 20% surge in math proficiency.

Of course, students can't learn if they aren't in school in the first place.

We locked arms together with the All in Virginia plan and Id like to thank Senators Locke and Lucas for your partnership.

And now Virginia leads the nation in reducing chronic absenteeism and getting students in the classroom.

[applause] [applause] Intensive tutoring works.

We've led all our peer states in math learning loss recovery.

And the nationally leading Virginia Literacy Act is transforming the way students learn to read.

But in addition to learning loss, we know that behavioral health distress among teens has been surging since even before the pandemic.

Increased social media use and endless screen time are one of the main culprits.

These devices and apps are profiting off our kids and stealing their childhood.

But we collectively acted.

We collectively acted to reclaim childhood and create a healthier and happier Virginia.

Bell-to-bell cell phone free education is now the law of the land across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] My friends, Virginia is the model for the rest of the nation because in Virginia, we don't follow.

We lead.

Academic performance is up.

Mental health and discipline challenges are down.

After schoo cafeterias are humming loud with noise because students are talking to each other again.

And to all the parents who advocated for your children, you have shown us once again that, yes, parents matter.

[applause and cheering] To make Virginia the very best place to live and work and raise a family, Virginia has to be safe.

From day one of my administration, we have Backed the Blue.

Supporting, encouraging and celebrating these heroic men and women.

We have collectively provided record funding.

We've invested in equipment and training, increased salaries.

I urge you, I urge you to keep investing, to keep supporting, and to keep Backing the Blue.

We've taken on gangs, drugs and human trafficking.

Our statewide efforts include gang task forces, extensive collaboration and cooperation with other states and with federal partners.

We've seized enough fentanyl that otherwise could have killed every Virginian ten times over.

We've arrested violent gang members, including the number three leader of MS13.

We've brought down the most violent crimes, especially in the most violent cities, as part of Operation Ceasefire and Operation Bold Blue Line.

And thanks to our dedicated law enforcement professionals, we've seen a 30% decline in murders.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] On Monday, I had the honor of visiting the Virginia State Police's 144th class as they get ready to complete their basic session training.

In a few weeks, this class will graduate 94 incredible men and women into the ranks of Virginia State Troopers, the second largest graduating class ever.

Virginians are once again proud.

[applause] They're proud to, and excited to enter this most noble profession.

Thank you to our heroes who keep us safe.

And thank you to Colonel Matt Hanley for your leadership.

[applause] [applause] We've tackled the scourge of drug addiction head on.

Our fight against fentanyl has been extraordinary.

When we started this journey, fentanyl was claiming the lives of more than five Virginians a day.

Suzanne and I have met, we have prayed, and we have cried with families who have buried a child, buried a spouse, sister, a brother, a parent because of this evil.

And so we came together and launched a comprehensive fight against fentanyl.

A fight where we've taken it to the frontline by enhancing penalties and creating tougher new laws.

Now, drug dealers are on notice.

If you push this poison and kill someone in the process, you will be held accountable and you will be charged with felony manslaughter.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] We've educated parents and students and teachers and coaches and pastors through the first lady's It Only Takes One statewide campaign.

And the Attorney Generals One Pill Can Kill public awareness initiative.

We've equipped Virginians to stop an overdose in progress by delivering 400,000 lifesaving naloxone doses and trained nearly 100,000 people to use them, including our members of the General Assembly.

[applause] We locked arms with community partners, including our It Only Takes One college ambassadors and heroic fentanyl family ambassadors who- whose courage inspires us all every single day.

Thanks to our comprehensive efforts, Virginia now leads the nation in reducing fatal fentanyl overdoses by 59%.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] Our fight isn't over.

But once where there is heartbreak, now there is hope.

Empowering Virginians to lead lives that God intended has been the driving force behind our complete overhaul of our behavioral health system.

Virginians in crisis needed help and could not get it.

So four years ago, we started a journey to transform behavioral health, to expand capacity across the state, to deliver faster, more effective response, to get law enforcement out of the emergency room and back on the street.

To expand the workforce.

Today, we've increased our care capacity and beds and chairs by 241%.

We've improved our responsiveness with 9-8-8 crisis calls by 456% to over 30,000 calls per month.

We've deployed nearly three times as many mobile crisis teams across the Commonwealth achieving a statewide average response time of just 42 minutes.

And we've substantially grown the workforce, adding over 30,000 new health care workers.

The Commonwealth is setting the national standard for how to care for individuals in crisis.

To get them the right help.

Right now.

[applause] [applause] When Virginians need help Virginians show up.

There has been no better example of neighbor helping neighbor than when Hurricane Helene tore through southwest Virginia.

In the face of devastating loss the true character of our Commonwealth shone through.

Heroic rescues by law enforcement, first responders and our Virginia National Guard.

Volunteers and donations rebuilt or repaired over 110 homes and assisted over 4000 households.

Collaboration with state, local and federal resources has led to rebuilding Route 58 faster, delivering farm recovery grants before any other state.

Accelerating the restructuring of the Creeper Trail at lightning pace.

So this huge economic contributor can be reopened by November of this year.

[applause] And the support coming from Virginia's $50 million recovery fund is now flowing.

I visited Southwest Virginia 30 times in the 15 months following Helene.

And I can tell you that today Southwest Virginia has their collective foot on the accelerator.

They're not turning back.

And all of us should make sure they soar with the rest of the Commonwealth.

[applause] Every corner of the Commonwealth is benefiting from tremendous job growth and business investment.

And because business is booming and our population is growing, it means our energy and power needs are rising as well.

For too long, Virginia's policies and the utilities planned for a stagnant Virginia.

Well, we are not stagnant.

We are growing.

And we must execute a plan where power is reliable, affordable and made in Virginia.

Meeting this growing power need means continuing to support an all of the above power plan.

[applause and cheering] What it definitely doesn't mean is rejoining RGGI.

And I know we debate this.

And I know some of us disagree, but it's a bad deal.

It doesn't work.

It's a regressive tax that drives up the cost of living for all Virginians.

It also doesn't mean driving away data centers.

The positive economic contribution from data centers is enormous.

The industry will pay their fair share of power costs, even bringing their own power behind the meter.

The national security imperative will drive huge investment and lots of jobs.

And Virginia should win.

Don't drive it away to the other states.

What it does mean is that we must continue to build.

We must build gas power generation.

We must build nuclear power.

We need to double our generating capacity in the next ten years.

And renewables alone, which by themselves will drive up costs and risk brownouts, just can't get it done.

Just look at Maryland, where electricity rates have nearly doubled and are 19% higher than the national average.

I urge you to undo VCEA.

It simply does not work for Virginians.

The good news is that we can both meet our energy and power needs and be great stewards of God's natural resource blessings to Virginia.

[applause] With the huge efforts we have made to support our Chesapeake Bay 2025 goals, including record funding for agricultural best management practices.

I am proud to report that the Chesapeake Bay is healthier than it has been in decades.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] And Virginia led the way to set the new framework signed in December for the next phase of preserving our great Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Virginia's transformation has been broad, from healthy rivers and streams to healthy moms and healthy babies.

Through our Healthy Moms, Healthy Families and Healthy Communities Initiative, we have seen a 68% reduction in maternal mortality.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] Building Blocks for Virginia Families delivered the best public- private parent choice model for early education and child care in America, not only maintaining full access for 74,000 children after the Biden administration cut funding, but also with my recent budget introduction providing 6000 more slots, 6000 more slots in our quality model that is leading the nation.

We've shown it is possible to make government work for Virginians.

The Virginia Employment Commission has cleared all its backlog of more than 700,000 work items coming out of COVID, and we've cleared 1.7 million in total.

Among our peer states, we now make benefit decisions faster than anyone, and we rank top third at getting out the first payment to unemployed Virginians.

We've cut waiting times at DMV from nearly 40 minutes to, in October, the shortest average wait in history, 5.9 minutes.

My friends, we've shown that with clear purpose and common sense it is indeed possible to make government work for Virginians.

It's possible to take a commonwealth that was stalled and make her soar like never before.

By every single metric today, Virginia is stronger than she has ever been.

Stronger financially.

Stronger educationally.

Stronger environmentally.

Stronger in terms of public safety.

Stronger in terms of behavioral health.

With better infrastructure and with more opportunity than ever before.

We have strengthened the spirit of Virginia together.

A spirit of courage and fortitude, of compassion, love.

Of resiliency in the face of challenge, and always rising to meet the new ones.

And the same spirit was beating in the hearts of our forebears 250 years ago.

Throughout this year, all of America will take part in our semiquincentennial celebrations.

But no state has as much to celebrate as we do here in Virginia.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] 250 years ago, it was Virginians who led the way to America's founding.

Washington.

Jefferson.

Madison.

Monroe.

Patrick Henry.

Mr.

Henry, I will miss working in your building every day.

And so many others along the way.

America was made in Virginia.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] This new nation, conceived in liberty, was born and then built on those foundational values that have sustained us for two and a half century.

Even when we did not live up to them, the revolutionary belief that government is of the people, that government exists to serve the people, not for people to serve the government.

Because our rights, those unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness come from God, not from government.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] The foundational pillars and values that must always define America were born right here in Virginia.

Pillars and values that have made America a beacon of hope to the world for 250 years.

And those values and that beacon must continue to guide Virginia's future as well.

250 years ago, Virginia led.

And I will humbly submit that over these past four years, Virginia has led in so many ways that may have stunned others, but should surprise none of us.

And so as we prepare to write the next 250 year chapter of our nation's history, Virginia should and Virginia must continue to lead.

It has been the honor of a lifetime for Suzanne and me to serve in this season alongside all of you.

So from the bottom of our incredibly grateful hearts.

Thank you, Virginia.

May God bless all of you.

May he bless the great Commonwealth of Virginia.

And may he always bless the United States of America.

Thank you.

[applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] [applause and cheering] SHIELDS: Youre watching special coverage from the Virginia State Capitol.

I'm Billy Shields with VPM News.

We just heard Governor Glenn Youngkins final State of the Commonwealth address and a recap of his administration's achievements.

Next, we'll hear from Senator Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, president pro tempore of the Senate, along with Delegate Dan Helmer of Fairfax County, giving the Democratic response to Youngkins speech.

LOUISE LUCAS: Hello, Virginia.

My name is L. Louise Lucas, representing the 18th senatorial district.

I serve as president pro tem of the Senate of Virginia and chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.

Tonight, as protocol requires, we listened to Governor Glenn Youngkins final State of the Commonwealth address.

Now, let me be crystal clear about what we heard.

He said Virginia is thriving.

What he didn't say is that families are barely surviving.

He said Virginia is the best state for business.

What he didn't say is that our ranking dropped last year to number four while Virginia federal workers got shoved out of their jobs.

He said parents first.

What he didn't say is that test scores fell while he was busy fighting cultural wars.

He said he worked across the aisle.

What he didn't say is that he vetoed progress and bipartisan bills.

Youngkin wants to leave behind a legacy.

But listen up, Glenn.

The only thing you're leaving behind is a mess.

And now Democrats will have to clean up your mess.

We cannot spin failure into success.

And we are not going to applaud for four years of chaos just because you're packing up your office.

Virginia dropped to number four.

Not because Virginia stopped working.

Not because our talent dried up, but because Virginians federal workforce got crushed by Trump's policies and reckless federal cuts.

Let's talk about what Glenn Youngkin and Virginia's outgoing attorney general allowed to happen when DEI protections were attacked.

At Virginia Military Institute the first Black superintendent was forced out due to political pressures.

At the University of Virginia the president was forced out not because he failed students, but because he refused to bow down to Trump's political demands.

And now George Mason, VMI, UVA, all caught in investigations and chaos.

And when the General Assembly said “no” to Youngkins board schemes, he tried to pull unconstitutional nonsense anyway.

But Virginia Democrats didnt fold.

We said the Constitution is the Constitution.

And the Virginia Supreme Court agreed with us.

Now, let's talk about health care, because this is where it gets deadly serious.

Youngkin tried to strip out a safety net Democrats put into the budget because without these safeguards, even a small federal cut could put more than 600,000.

Virginia's at risk of losing health care coverage.

And what did Glenn Youngkin do?

Not a damn thing.

Glenn didn't create a win in Virginia.

He didn't pour into Virginias vision.

He rolled back protections that may lead us -- made us the leaders in climate change, strong public schools, a responsible safety net and Medicaid expansion.

And let's not forget this one.

He tried to create $50 million private school voucher scheme ripping money from public schools to benefit wealthy families.

Private schools can pick who they want, teach who they want, teach what they want, reject who they want.

And that is not where public school dollars belong.

So here's the truth.

We're moving on.

We're moving to a better future.

We're moving to a brighter future.

And we're moving to a more inclusive future.

We are focused on affordability.

More money in the pockets of Virginians.

And we are focused on future opportunities through higher education standards and strong public schools.

And, yes, Governor- elect Abigail Spanberger and a Democratic trifecta can't come soon enough.

Youngkin is out of touch, tired, outdated, and he's out the back door.

And soon enough, Trump will be also.

So tonight, we listened to him talk.

But who believes him?

Because the record is clear.

The damage is real and to people watching at home, this part is for you, if you have felt ignored, dismissed, or used as a political prop, if you watched leaders play games while your bills went up, just know this, Virginia is not powerless and we are not stuck.

These damages ran rampant in Virginia, and tonight it stops.

Virginias Senate Democrats will keep fighting for working families, defending your freedoms, strengthening our Commonwealth until success is within reach for every Virginian family.

And you can take that to the bank.

DAN HELMER: Good evening.

I'm Delegate Dan Helmer.

I'm a proud veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Delegate for Virginia's 10th district and the House Democratic Caucus campaigns chair.

We're at the beginning of a truly historic chapter in Virginia history.

For the first time in 406 years, our Commonwealth will be led by a woman Governor, Abigail Spanberger.

It is a new era for Virginia, and that is because we sent a loud and resounding message this past November.

You elected the largest Democratic majority in nearly 40 years, a majority that reflects the diversity and strength of our great Commonwealth.

You rejected the politics of chaos and division, and we elected strong, steady and empathetic leadership.

Virginia, you gave us a mandate.

Now it's our job to deliver on that mandate.

As we speak, Democrats in the General Assembly are working hard to deliver legislation to build an affordable, secure and resilient Virginia.

What does that mean?

That means bills like House Bill 4 introduced by Delegate Elizabeth Bennet Parker, which makes it easier for families to buy their first home.

It means House Bill 483 from Delegate Carrie Delaney that lowers the cost of prescription drugs.

It means bills like House Bill 3 from Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling to lower the cost of your utility bills.

It means House Bill 1 from Delegate Jeion Ward to finally raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

It means bills that will keep our communities safe, defend our fundamental rights, and save lives.

Like banning weapons of war from our streets.

Protecting our fundamental rights.

From reproductive freedom to voting rights.

To fair elections.

To marriage equality.

And thanks to you well get it passed because we now have a governor who is actually focused on keeping Virginians safe.

In the months ahead, you'll see Virginia Democrats continue to put forward common sense solutions to improve the lives of working families across our Commonwealth and make sure we build a Virginia ready to withstand any challenge, whether it's coming from Washington or elsewhere.

We take seriously the trust you put in us last November, and we will fight for you, your families and our communities.

Thank you for watching.

God Bless the Commonwealth.

And God bless America.

SHIELDS: You just heard from Senator Louise Lucas, representing the 18th District and delegate Dan Helmer from the 10th House District with their reactions to Governor Glenn Youngkins speech.

This is VPMs special coverage of the 2026 State of the Commonwealth address as Governor Glenn Youngkin bids farewell.

I'm Billy Shields and we are live from the Old Senate Chamber in the Virginia State Capitol building here in Richmond.

Joining me now is VPM News political analyst Rich Meagher.

Thank you for being here.

RICH MEAGHER: Great to be here with you, Billy.

SHIELDS: Okay, Rich.

The governor called the last four years the Great Virginia Renaissance.

Which achievements did he point to and what stood out to you?

MEAGHER: Yeah, that term, he's been really trying to make a go of that term to describe and I think really sum up and define his legacy here for the last four years.

Now he says it's a term he heard.

I don't know that I've heard anyone use that term except the governor himself.

But certainly he wants to use it to say, look, where were we four years ago when we were coming out of the pandemic?

You know, whether you want to lay the blame for that on the previous administration of Ralph Northam.

Notably, the governor did not mention Northam or try to put any blame on him.

But he did say, look, four years ago we were in bad shape.

And I think there's plenty of evidence that that was true.

And, yes, we are in much better shape.

Now, I think the real question here is, does Glenn Youngkin and his role as governor deserve credit for all of the gains that we've made?

And I think plenty of people would disagree with that, as we just saw from Louise Lucas and Dan Helmer.

But I think there are other things that Glenn Youngkin can point to.

Right.

An improved economy, certainly an education system that seems to have bounced back, lots of individual sort of smaller policy gains that he laid out throughout his speech tonight.

But I think he can point to and say, look, we've accomplished quite a lot in our last four years in his administration.

SHIELDS: Okay.

The Democrats in this last election expanded their control of the Senate and they retain contr-- they also got control of the House.

What, if any, of Governor Youngkins priorities do you expect to see preserved and which one might might which ones might go by the wayside?

MEAGHER: Yeah, so certainly in terms of preservation, there's a lot that the governor accomplished that I think anyone in the Commonwealth, Democrat and Republican, can celebrate.

You know, major investments in education and teacher pay.

Major investments in behavioral health.

Cleaning up the unemployment backlog.

It's hard to remember now in 2026 just how bad the state's unemployment backlog was, how terrible the system of paying out unemployment benefits were during the pandemic, at a time that a lot of people were out of work.

And Youngkins administration has really cleaned up that backlog and made that unemployment function functional.

And I think not only should Democrats celebrate that, but they should ensure that the increased service provided by the bureaucracy at places like the DMV that the governor mentioned are continued on.

I also think one thing that he mentioned that got a lot of applause, that he mentioned that got a lot of applause, that he mentioned that got a lot of applause, applause from me as a parent, maybe not from my children, the bell-to-bell cell phone ban.

I think that's been very popular and I'm sure that Democrats will want to continue that and make sure that policy is preserved, possibly even expanded in the upcoming years.

SHIELDS: Interesting.

Okay.

We just heard the governor address a General Assembly thats packed with Democrats.

As he prepares to leave, how did he account for their expanding power in this state?

MEAGHER: Yeah.

And so the one word that we didn't hear from Glenn Youngkin that I think actually is his biggest achievement was the word veto.

You mentioned it actually astutely, Billy, before the governor spoke, which is the governor, Governor Youngkin issued a record number, historically record number of vetoes during his term, particularly the last two years, as Democrats sent him a bunch of legislation that he turned away.

Almost 400 vetoes, which is just blowing out of the water the previous record.

Now, I understand that's a sort of negative thing that the governor maybe didn't want to point to.

But if you're a Republican, I think looking at the governor as someone who stopped or at least slowed down a lot of Democratic priorities should be something the governor is proud of, something that you would support him for.

And I think I wonder if the governor is going to mention that more as he moves on to the next phase, whatever the next job is.

To mention, look, the Democrats wanted to do a whole bunch of things that I opposed that Republicans opposed, and I held them back at least for a couple of years.

I think it's interesting he didn't mention it tonight, but I do think that's really part of his legacy, if not the main part of his legacy here.

SHIELDS: Okay.

Whenever a governor has these end of term speeches, One of the things that every governor wants to do is shape their legacy.

And so what are some of the points that Youngkin made, the things he pointed to that he hopes will leave a lasting mark on the Commonwealth as at least as he sees it?

MEAGHER: Yeah, and I think this is another way to answer that question or to look at that question is what was he warning against?

What did he want the Democrats who are now in charge of the state to not do?

So he mentioned the Right to Work.

Right.

Something that he feels like has helped contribute to the economic success that he was, let's say, claiming credit for, but certainly has shepherded over the last few years.

He warned against probably uncharitably saying this bills raising tax known to man.

But I certainly think he wants to try to keep taxes low in the Commonwealth.

And then he specifically called out a particular agreement, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a particular piece of legislation, the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

These are Democratic priorities.

The Virginia Clean Economy Act was passed by Democrats in the past, the RGGI, that Greenhouse Gas Initiative is something Democrats committed to joining back again and Governor Youngkin pulled us out of.

So I think he's trying to say, look, these decisions that I've made, these emphases that I've had, these things I've wanted the direction of the Commonwealth to go in, don't change that.

Don't undermine that.

Really almost warning the Democrats that, you know, the language that he used this year, that he used last year of winners and losers, that if you go in this direction, Democrats, you are going to be a bunch of losers.

Like let's keep winning was, I think, the message that he was sending to Democrats.

And I think that's the legacy that he wants preserved.

SHIELDS: Something you made reference to earlier.

I noticed, you know, Virginia is a very unique state in the sense that it has a prohibition against governors serving consecutive terms.

And so always it seems like political analysts want to talk about what's next for an outgoing Virginia governor, because it's not always clear what you do after youre governor.

What do you think's next for Youngkin?

MEAGHER: Yes.

And so I will imagine we'll start having this conversation about Abigail Spanberger next week because, yes, Virginia governors become a lame duck the minute that they are elected to office because they cannot run again, or at least not right away.

Right.

Terry McAuliffe ran again later.

But you have to take some time off and do something else.

And that means we have a lot of governors running around the Commonwealth.

Right.

Our two senators are former governors.

Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.

George Allen, another former governor, was a senator.

And there was a lot of speculation that Governor Youngkin might cut short his term or think about running against Mark Warner next year for Senate.

I'm sorry, this year for Senate.

It doesn't look like he's going to do that.

It would be very late for him to try to to take on Mark Warner.

It does seem like he has some interest in national politics, has explored a presidential run in the past few years.

I do think that while Glenn Youngkin today tried to tell a story about all the positive things he's done for the Commonwealth he's also taken some political hits in the last few years.

So how credible he might be as a presidential candidate?

Hard to say.

In recent days, he has endorsed or stood behind current Vice President J.D.

Vance as the next presidential candidate, suggesting that maybe he doesn't have his eyes on the presidency, but instead a cabinet position either in the current Trump administration or perhaps a future Vance administration.

So I think Youngkin certainly must be thinking about what his next step is.

I don't think he's going to do what his predecessor did, Ralph Northam, who is sort of went back to his life as a country doctor.

I don't think Glenn Youngkin is going to go become a country anything and certainly not go back to his business life in the Carlyle Group.

I think he does want a political future and we'll have to see where that goes.

And of course, in Virginia, there's always another election.

So we'll see what happens over the next few years.

SHIELDS: One final question.

Put a cherry on top of the sundae, Rich.

What are some of your final takeaways from what you just witnessed here today at the Capitol?

MEAGHER: Well, in some senses, right, this is not unusual for any outgoing executive leader.

Right.

They're given the chance to sum up their own tenure to say, this is what I was about these last four years.

I think the interesting thing about Glenn Youngkin is that the story that he has wanted to tell has changed over the last four years.

When he came into office, he came into office as the education governor.

He came into office saying, I'm going to be a warrior on behalf of parents.

I'm going to correct a lot of ills and note one word that he also didn't mention in his state of the commonwealth today, which is the word diversity.

He was very concerned about DEI and critical race theory.

I believe his first executive order was about eliminating divisive concepts, which the term that he used, but diversity initiatives.

And I think his he's moved away from that as I think the people of Virginia have kind of moved away from that idea and that concern.

And he much more emphasized I think today the economy and a strong economy.

So it's almost like he came into office as a kind of education warrior and he leaves it trying to, to kind of put out the businessman that we all thought he was coming out of the Carlyle Group when he first got involved in politics.

So that story is one that he has tried to shape the story he's trying to bring out here.

But the rest of the folks in in Virginia do remember all of the four years and so whether it's Glenn Youngkin, this is part of the story, other people will get to to help tell the story of Glenn Youngkins term as governor.

SHIELDS: Rich Meagher.

VPM News Political Analyst.

Thank you so much for your time.

MEAGHER: Thank you, Billy.

SHIELDS: And thank you for watching our special coverage of the 2026 State of the Commonwealth Address.

Join us live for our continuing coverage of the transition to the new administration, including Governor-elect Abigail Spanbergers inauguration this Saturday.

And first address to General Assembly next Monday evening.

Stay up to date with our news coverage of the General Assembly session by visiting our website at VPM dot org.

For VPM News, I'm Billy Shields.

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