Virginia Democrats Will Make Richmond 'San Francisco on the James'
A look at some of the far-left laws Virginia Democrats will enact in 2026 now that they have full control of the General Assembly and governor's mansion.
Democrats have been in control of at least one branch of Virginia state government since 2013, with complete control in 2020 and 2021. Although Republicans wielded Gov. Glenn Youngkin's veto pen for the last four years, they were unable to enact any legislative changes to help the commonwealth. Now that Democrats have full control of all branches of government, Virginia will quickly become East California.
Some of the most concerning actions that Democrats have already promised are two constitutional amendments that will be placed on the 2026 ballot. The first will be one of the most radical abortion laws in the nation—permitting abortion up until birth with no restrictions. The other is a redistricting effort that will allow Democrats to control nearly all congressional and legislative districts. Democrats hope to undo a 2020 constitutional amendment, supported by 66 percent of Virginians, which created a bipartisan redistricting commission.
On the campaign trail, Democrats also promised to eradicate Virginia's right to work laws. Mandatory union collective bargaining for the public sector, including teachers' unions, will be quickly implemented.
Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger promised to quickly rescind Gov. Youngkin's executive order requiring state police cooperate with ICE. Virginia will become a sanctuary state for illegal alien criminals.
Legislation That Will Be Quickly Adopted
In 2024 and 2025, Youngkin vetoed nearly 200 bills proposed by the Democrat-led legislature. With Spanberger taking the helm in the 2026 session, look for these bills to be signed into law. Here are just a few examples of the pro-criminal, pro-union, anti-gun laws that will be adopted soon.
HB 1: Increases the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.
HB 2: Outlaws the sale of many semi-automatic firearms and certain components. The governor noted in his veto that the Constitution prohibits banning a broad category of firearms used for lawful purposes.
HB 77: Reduces penalties retroactively for different types of robberies. The governor pointed out that early release of violent criminals harms communities.
HB 161: Prohibits arrest, prosecution, or discipline of inmates related to possession, sale, or use of controlled substances/drugs or alcohol while jailed. The bill would provide no punishment for drug deals or drug use during incarceration.
HB 175: Prohibits the carrying of semi-automatic center-fire rifles and shotguns in any public place, street, park, etc. This legislation would be unconstitutional.
HB 183: Places a limit on how an individual can access firearms in their own home. Requires firearms to be kept in a biometrically locked container if any minor or person prohibited from possessing a firearm is present. A gun owner would not even be able to carry the weapon on themselves while inside their home for self-defense.
HB 212: Requires diversity and gender hiring requirements for economic development incentives.
HB 318: Permits firearm manufacturers or sellers to be sued for civil liability for the misuse of a weapon or product.
HB 398: Requires "restorative practices" be used before a student may be suspended from school unless the student committed a violent crime such as sexual assault or murder.
HB 442: Mandates that a landlord offer a payment plan to a tenant without interest when a tenant has not paid rent for a month.
HB 457: Allows a court to decrease a criminal's probation period without a hearing or notification to a victim.
HB 571: Prohibits the censoring of sexually explicit or pornographic content in any school, including elementary schools.
HB 585: Prohibits any firearms store or home-based dealer from existing within 1.5 miles of a school.
HB 614: Requires a court to permit community service in lieu of payment of fines and court costs for criminals. Courts must apply work performed while incarcerated toward community service.
HB 698: Legalizes the sale of marijuana. The governor noted in his veto that states who've adopted these laws have seen an increase in children's health and safety problems, increased gang activity and violent crime, and more.
HB 799: Requires fingerprints (in addition to background checks and mandatory training) to qualify for a concealed handgun permit of a law-abiding citizen. The fingerprints are retained for a lifetime by the FBI. The governor recognized this bill created concerning privacy and civil liberties issues.
HB 819: Requires health insurance coverage for contraception without an exclusion for a religious conscience clause.
HB 938: Requires unemployment benefits be provided in case of a lockout due to a labor union dispute. Essentially, taxpayers would be required to fund employees participating in a union walkout—such as a teachers' union.
HB 962: Removes the term "illegal alien" from Virginia's legal code.
HB 972: Prohibits a court from inquiring into a defendant's immigration status.
HB 1098: Requires employers to provide 10 days of paid bereavement leave per year to each employee. As the governor noted, this should be determined by the private employer, not a government mandate.
HB 1207: Prohibits a landlord who participates as an affordable housing provider from rejecting a tenant over a background check.
HB 1398: Permits a locality to require a seller to give the government first right of refusal to buy a property for affordable housing. The government could even intervene if a property owner has already accepted an offer from a private party to sell.
HB 1454: Extends the duration for which a person can obtain a driver privilege card. For example, even if a non-citizen is only permitted to remain in the U.S. for a single year, they could still receive an ID approved for eight years.
HB 1539: Prohibits extradition of someone who has committed an abortion related crime in another state.
In 2025, Democrats proposed many of the above 2024 bills along with some ugly new ones:
SB 917: Mandatory union collective bargaining for public sector employees such as teachers' unions. This would eradicate Virginia's right to work laws.
SB 1048: Requires school boards to send annual notification to parents about how to parent on the topic of firearms and prescription drugs. The governor said, "I do not believe it is the responsibility of school district to lecture parents on the responsibilities of safe gun or prescription drug storage."
HB 1649: Requires the Board of Medicine to require "unconscious bias and cultural competency training" as part of education requirements for renal of license.
HB 1716: Establishes a right to obtain contraceptives without any age limits. A child of any age would have the right to obtain contraception without parental consent. The bill also did not have a conscience clause that would protect religious freedom.
HB 2087: Would permit public electric utility monopolies to develop and own electric vehicle charging stations which would compete with private charging stations—which could put them out of business.
This is just a glimpse into the Democrats' plan to turn Virginia into East California. Since they have an untouchable majority in all branches of government, they will get whatever they desire. Conservatives need to publicize the Spanberger Democrats' extremist agenda as much as possible in hopes they can retake control of the Senate and House of Delegates after the 2027 election.
Democrats have two years to push through their radical agenda. Conservatives have two years to prepare for an end to their tyranny.
Republished with permission from Restoration News.
Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, immigration, and military issues. She is the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools. Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member and has a master’s degree in law. She also brings the perspective of a military spouse and mother to her reporting.
