The media loves a "moderate" because it makes for easy copy. They’ve spent months painting Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger as a pragmatic warrior fighting off the hounds of partisan politics. It’s a comforting narrative for people who still believe the 1990s are coming back. It’s also completely wrong.
What the pundits call "pragmatism" is actually a lack of strategic friction. In the current Virginia political climate, trying to stand in the middle of the road doesn't make you a bridge-builder; it just makes you a target for traffic coming from both directions. Spanberger isn't being "hounded" by politics. She is failing to master them.
The Myth of the Neutral Executive
The central argument of the "pragmatism" crowd is that a Governor can somehow operate above the fray by focusing on "results" rather than ideology. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of how power works in Richmond. Every budget line item is an ideological statement. Every veto is a declaration of war.
Spanberger’s attempt to brand herself as the sensible adult in the room ignores the reality that the "room" has been remodeled. We are no longer in an era of incrementalism. When you try to find the midpoint between two fundamentally different visions for the Commonwealth, you don’t end up with a solution. You end up with a mess that satisfies no one and solves nothing.
I’ve watched governors try this "third way" dance for twenty years. It always ends the same way: with a base that feels betrayed and an opposition that smells blood. True pragmatism isn't avoiding the fight. It’s picking the fight you know you can win and using it to crush your opponents' momentum. Spanberger is doing the opposite—she’s trying to avoid the fight and wondering why she’s losing the room.
Data Doesn't Vote People Do
The spreadsheet-heavy approach to governance assumes that if you just show people enough charts about the "Virginia Success Plan," they will stop caring about the cultural and economic anxieties that actually drive their lives.
Let’s look at the numbers. In the last three election cycles, the candidates who outperformed their polling were not the ones who hugged the center. They were the ones who drew clear, jagged lines in the sand.
- Voter Turnout: High-engagement voters—the ones who actually show up for midterms and gubernatorial off-years—are driven by conviction, not compromise.
- Fundraising: The "moderate" donor class is shrinking. Small-dollar donors, the lifeblood of modern campaigns, respond to heat, not lukewarm policy papers.
- Legislative Leverage: If the General Assembly knows you are desperate for a "bipartisan win," they will strip your priorities to the bone.
By the time Spanberger gets a bill she can call "pragmatic," it’s usually so diluted that it has the legislative impact of a wet paper towel.
The High Cost of the "Sensible" Middle
People often ask: "Isn't it better to get half a loaf than no loaf at all?"
In baking, yes. In politics, half a loaf usually contains the poison of your opponent’s amendments without any of the nutrients of your original plan. Spanberger’s insistence on "common ground" on issues like tax reform and education funding has effectively ceded the narrative to the most vocal fringes.
When you refuse to stake out a bold position, you allow your enemies to define who you are. This isn't "politics hounding her." This is a self-inflicted wound. If you don't give the public a clear vision to rally around, they will fill that vacuum with whatever fears the opposition generates.
Efficiency is Not a Platform
The Governor’s office has been treating the state like a mid-cap corporation that needs a restructuring. They talk about "streamlining" and "efficiency" as if these were virtues in themselves. They aren't.
Government is not a business. A business exists to generate profit; a government exists to exercise power on behalf of its citizens. Efficiency in the service of a mediocre goal is just a faster way to fail.
I’ve sat in the rooms where these "centrist" policies are cooked up. They are designed to be inoffensive. But in an era of high-stakes polarization, being inoffensive is the most offensive thing you can be. It suggests that you don't think anything is actually worth fighting for.
The Failure of "Problem Solvers"
The "Problem Solvers" caucus mentality is the greatest trick ever played on the American electorate. It posits that all our issues are merely technical glitches that can be fixed with "better management."
It’s a lie.
The issues facing Virginia—housing affordability, the transition of the energy grid, the widening gap between the NoVa economy and the rest of the state—are not technical problems. They are power struggles. They are about who wins and who loses.
Spanberger’s "pragmatism" is a refusal to admit that for one group of Virginians to win, another group might have to lose a privilege they’ve held for decades. By trying to make everyone a winner, she ensures that the status quo remains untouched.
Stop Asking if She Can "Govern from the Middle"
The question itself is flawed. You don't govern from the middle; you govern from the front.
If Spanberger wants to actually move the needle, she needs to stop worrying about the "politics hounding her" and start becoming the one doing the hounding. This means:
- Abandoning the Bipartisan Fetish: If a policy is good, pass it. If the other side won't help, make them pay for it at the ballot box. Stop begging for "buy-in" from people whose only goal is to see you fail.
- Picking a Villain: You cannot be a hero if you don't have a villain. Whether it’s corporate landlords, utility monopolies, or partisan obstructionists, she needs to name the forces holding Virginia back.
- Leaning into the Friction: Conflict is a sign of life. If everyone is happy with your proposal, your proposal is probably useless.
The "sensible" path is a treadmill. You run and run, but you stay in the exact same place. Meanwhile, the world moves on.
Pragmatism is only a virtue if it leads to progress. If it leads to a stalemate, it’s just a fancy word for cowardice. Virginia doesn't need a manager. It needs a leader who understands that the "middle ground" is just the place where the most compromises go to die.
Throw away the focus groups. Fire the consultants who tell you to "soften the edges." The edges are the only part that cuts. If Spanberger doesn't learn how to use the blade, she’s going to spend the rest of her term wondering why nobody is following her into the center.
The middle isn't a destination. It’s a graveyard.
