If you think back to this time last year, we were happily ensconced in post-election bliss and eagerly watching as President-elect Donald Trump began the transition to his second term in office. It was something to behold because Trump immediately became the de facto president as his lame duck predecessor quickly faded away into irrelevancy.
Weak leaders like Joe Biden create a power vacuum (see also: the Democrat Party circa 2025).
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The commonwealth of Virginia does not have such a problem at the moment, and Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin would like Democrats, and particularly Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, to kindly butt out of his business. Spanberger, naturally, is eager to get a head start on wreaking havoc in the Old Dominion, but she’ll have to cool her jets for the next two months.
Youngkin was rightfully incensed to learn that Spanberger had taken it upon herself to write to the Board of Visitors (BOV) of the University of Virginia (UVA) this week asking them to hold on selecting a new president until after she is inaugurated in January. The previous president resigned earlier this year – under a great deal of pressure from both Youngkin and Trump’s Department of Justice, it should be noted – after he stonewalled an investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights division into UVA’s use of race in admission and employment decisions.
What Spanberger, a UVA graduate, is asking for here is for her alma mater to resume the stonewalling that got them into trouble in the first place until she can get into office and start putting her hand-picked minions onto the BOV. And once she’s got her far-left radicals in place, the university will undoubtedly revert to its DEI ways and go to war against the DOJ.
Here’s a bit of what the governor-elect wrote:
I urge you to refrain from rushing this search process and from selecting the finalists for the presidency or a president until the Board is at full complement and in statutory compliance, meaning that I have appointed and the General Assembly has confirmed new Board members. As it will be a priority of my administration to stabilize and normalize the leadership of our public colleges and universities, I will make appointments soon after my inauguration.
Mighty presumptive and meddling over her, no? She’s truly the queen the AWFLs.
Youngkin wasn’t having any of it and let Spanberger know in no uncertain terms that he’s still the boss. He sent out a letter of his own on Thursday in which he reprimanded the governor-elect for her shameful overreach and premature power grab.
Gov. Youngkin is not happy with Gov.-elect Spanberger and he let her know that in a letter. https://t.co/ufBQuINGXq pic.twitter.com/tErH74uzpf
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) November 13, 2025
Here’s some of what Youngkin wrote:
In his letter, Youngkin accused Spanberger of sharing false claims and hyperbole, which he described as not only harmful, but dangerous. He stated that, to his understanding, UVA’s search for a president has “followed national best practices and been a model of transparency.”
“It’s dangerous to wrongfully disparage committed individuals who volunteer to serve on university boards and the serious work they do,” he wrote. “Further, the Governor of the Commonwealth should speak thoughtfully and honor the service of those individuals.”
According to Youngkin, Spanberger’s actions “may have inflicted significant damage on the university [she] profess[es] to love.”
Prior to penning his letter, Governor Youngkin told a reporter he was “shocked” to learn Spanberger’s letter, calling it “inappropriate” for the governor-elect to “intimidate and bully an agency.”
Governor Youngkin’s full answer to my question is below.
I have reached out to @SpanbergerForVA‘s team to get their response. pic.twitter.com/DdSD9jg9HJ
— Tyler Englander (@TylerEnglander) November 13, 2025
“There is one governor right now,” Youngkin declared. “And I happen to be that governor.”
Inauguration Day in Virginia will be Saturday, January 17, 2026.
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