HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger today announced the next pillar of her plan to make the Commonwealth more affordable, particularly by lowering housing costs for Virginia families.

Standing in front of a housing development construction site in eastern Henrico County, Spanberger laid out a new slate of policy priorities her administration will focus on to bring down costs for Virginians. At the site, Spanberger made clear how she will take steps as Governor to make an affordable home more attainable for buyers and renters across the Commonwealth.

“No matter where I travel across Virginia — whether I’m in Richmond City or Richmond County, out in Radford, Roanoke, or down in Hampton Roads, I hear about the high cost of housing,” said Spanberger during the event. “That’s why today, I’m laying out how my administration will, brick by brick, lay the foundation to lower housing costs for Virginians. Because whether it’s buying a home or paying the rent, we need to make Virginia housing more affordable.”

Spanberger continued, “But I know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to Virginia’s housing challenges. That’s why Virginians deserve real, thoughtful solutions from their Governor — solutions that will deliver results they can see in their bank accounts.”

During Friday’s event, Spanberger also spoke about how the Trump Administration’s tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, and Congressional Republicans threatening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act are hurting Virginia families’ pocketbooks.

“While Virginians are being squeezed, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are hard at work making things worse. The White House’s reckless tariffs — on lumber from Canada, drywall from Mexico, and more of the imported materials we need to build more homes — are only going to make the housing affordability crisis worse. And my opponent has said that she thinks these tariffs are benefiting Virginians,” Spanberger said. “We are also seeing Republicans in Washington work to take away more than 250,000 Virginians’ access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage.”

During today’s event, Spanberger was joined by Whitney Brown, who was able to purchase a home through the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust — which partners with the development she spoke at today. Brown made clear why Virginians need a Governor who is focused on bringing down Virginians’ housing costs.

“My story of searching for an affordable home is one shared by many young people and families across Virginia. A community land trust helped me own my own home — but this is just one of the many solutions we need to help more Virginians reach their goal of homeownership,” said Brown. “We need a leader who will work to make sure we address the cost of housing head on with all the tools at our disposal. That’s why I’m grateful to have someone like Congresswoman Spanberger who is focused on lowering housing costs and finding solutions that actually work for our communities.”

Spanberger was also joined by Delegate Delores McQuinn (HD-81) and Senator Lashrecse Aird (SD-13) who spoke to the pressing need to make Virginia more affordable, and Henrico County Supervisor Rev. Tyrone Nelson. The legislators recognized Spanberger’s focus on listening to the needs of Virginia’s communities and working to find real solutions to bring down costs.

“Virginians deserve a Governor who will address the issues that matter most to them. With Abigail in the Governor’s office, I know we will have a dedicated partner who is working for everyday Virginians,” said Delegate McQuinn. “I know that Abigail will tackle rising costs in eastern Henrico County, across the 81st District, and across the Commonwealth and by making sure we are investing in homes that are actually affordable for Virginia families.”

“Communities across our Commonwealth are struggling with the high cost of housing. We need leaders who will approach this challenge head-on and deliver for Virginia’s working families,” said Senator Aird. “I know that as the next Governor of Virginia, Abigail will be focused on lowering housing costs — so Virginians can keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets and know that they can call our Commonwealth home for years to come.”

As Governor of Virginia, Spanberger will focus on lowering housing costs for Virginia renters and homeowners — and the key priorities she outlined today include:

• Giving cities and counties the flexibility they need to build more housing.
• Taking commonsense steps to increase the housing supply and make housing more attainable.
• Cutting red tape and reducing burdensome regulations that slow down housing construction.
• Directing investments towards housing Virginia families can afford — including by providing incentives for new construction that increases the supply of housing attainable to first-time homeowners and middle-class families.
• Increasing the supply of affordable housing, and preserving and protecting existing affordable housing.
• Addressing the rise in homelessness and evictions.
• Strengthening Virginia’s fair housing protections to prevent discrimination in housing.
• And along the way, responding to Virginia’s unique regional housing challenges without a “one-size-fits-all” solution.

Click here for more information outlining Spanberger’s policy proposals.

BACKGROUND

Today’s announcement comes after Spanberger last month laid out her key priorities to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs for Virginia’s seniors and working families.

At a family-owned pharmacy in Hanover County, Spanberger made clear how as the next Governor of Virginia, she will crack down on bad actors who inflate the cost of Virginians’ prescription drugs, improve access to affordable healthcare options in Virginia’s rural and underserved communities, and make sure no Virginian goes bankrupt because of a medical emergency.

Spanberger announced her campaign to serve as the 75th Governor of Virginia in November 2023.

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