A new administration takes over in Virginia and immediately begins implementing a progressive wish list that will radically impact the sanctity of life, law and order, and electoral power. Here’s what Christians need to know.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
Less than two weeks into the new Virginia legislative session, and Democrats have unleashed one of the most aggressive progressive policy blitzes in the commonwealth’s history. Newly sworn-in Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Lt. Gov. Hashmi, and Attorney General Jay Jones — who swept into office on November 5, 2025, defeating Republicans in all three statewide races and picking up 13 seats in the House of Delegates — have wasted no time implementing their policy agenda.
Lest we forget the election controversy of Jay Jones, who it was revealed in 2022 that he had sent texts fantasizing about “two bullets to the head” for then-Republican minority leader Todd Gilbert, even musing about his children’s deaths.
He also allegedly made anti-police remarks and talked about urinating on his opponents’ graves. Spanberger called those texts “disgusting” but refused to withdraw her endorsement of Jones, but fast forward: Voters elected him anyway. Now he’s Virginia’s top law enforcement officer.
Within hours of taking office on January 17, 2026, Governor Spanberger signed 10 executive orders and repealed Executive Order 47 — immediately ending mandatory cooperation between Virginia police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Virginia now joins other radical sanctuary states in their non-cooperation with federal law enforcement officers and constitutional authority on immigration.
Democrats controlling the General Assembly wasted no time either, filing dozens of radical bills within the first 48 hours of the new legislative session. By January 22, the assault on Virginia’s truth, decency, and traditional values was in full swing across every front imaginable.
So how should we think about this? Here’s the Point.
The scope and speed of Virginia’s radical transformation was extensive and swift.
This isn’t incremental progressivism — this is a full-throttle assault at almost revolutionary levels.
The long-awaited abortion amendment, which was the topic of concern of every conservative voter back in November, advanced through the Senate quickly as warned, allowing abortions up to birth, with absolutely no parental consent required and no born-alive protections. Democrats rejected every Republican amendment offering even minimal safeguards to protect the mother and the baby. This amendment passed initial hurdles within days of Democrats taking control and will appear on the November 2026 ballot. Gov. Spanberger endorsed it immediately after her inauguration as the first woman governor of Virginia.
Democrats also filed bills on January 10 for an assault weapons ban and a $500 tax on suppressors, an 11 percent excise tax on firearms and ammunition, and other measures that will make gun ownership protections under the Second Amendment even more difficult.
In addition, Democrats proposed extending sales tax to everyday services like dry cleaning, gyms, and landscaping. They want new taxes on investments, Amazon packages, and fast food delivery.
They also have a DEI criteria for government service contracts to meet various diversity standards.
And while these bills were expected — abortion, more taxes, greater gun control — others made no moral or logical sense whatsoever.
Democrats introduced bills to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for rape, manslaughter, possession of child pornography, and assaulting police officers.
You heard that right. Why would any elected official support removing mandatory minimums for these crimes? Rape, child pornography, and assaulting police.
What possible justification exists for doing that?
The only explanation is ideological. Progressive criminal justice “reform” has become so dogmatic that the left can no longer distinguish between non-violent drug offenses and violent predatory crimes against women and children.
This is exactly what causes skyrocketing crime rates, cashless bail, and rampant abuses of the law. When a law comes consequence-free, it ceases to be a law.
And it doesn’t stop there. Democrats proposed eliminating the five-day jail sentences for first-time DUIs and lowering penalties for robbery and repeat violent felonies.
They also worked fast to solidify their political hold on Virginia through redistricting efforts and once again changing voting laws.
Democrats greenlit a constitutional amendment that would clear the way for the legislature to redraw the state’s U.S. House map ahead of the midterm elections in 2026 and well ahead of the customary 2030 Census at the end of the decade.
Democrats are pushing the amendment in an effort to take their 6 of 11 US house districts to add four additional left-leaning Congressional seats.
And they also plan to extend absentee ballot periods and add Internet voting, which raises serious election integrity concerns.
All of this is an effort to solidify power in a gerrymandering scheme. It will also distribute the progressivism of Northern Virginia throughout the state and rural counties. This is even after Spanberger ran her campaign for governor as a moderate Democrat and not a radical.
Christians must understand what is at stake here and we must respond accordingly.
All elections have consequences, and so here we are. And every Virginian is responsible for how they voted or how they failed to vote in the most recent election. Many Christians stayed home in November and they failed to take the threat seriously.
As a result, the abortion amendment, will likely pass this November at a 51 percent majority threshold in order to enshrine unlimited abortion into Virginia’s Constitution. And overturning that amendment will require another constitutional amendment — an almost impossible hurdle given the present demographics.
The redistricting scheme will likely cement Democratic power for a decade or more. The various criminal justice “reforms” will make communities less safe and more vulnerable to predators and illegal immigrants, who take full advantage of soft-on-crime policies at the expense of American citizens.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is the birthplace of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry — our Founding Fathers. It is also the birthplace of freedom. It is now being dismantled by radical progressives.
It didn’t have to be this way, nor does it have to be permanent. But it will require courage, unwavering commitment, and Christians who are willing to engage and stay engaged. The days of apolitical apathy and gnostic pietism are over.
While the 2026 midterm elections have yet to be determined, Virginia’s new administration is cause for much concern and grief for the immediate future. Christians must pray for Virginia, speak the truth, and stand on principle.
Freedom is still very much alive because Christ is still on His throne. The only question is whether Christians will rise to meet the challenge of the day in order to advance freedom for tomorrow.
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