OAN Staff Lillian Mann and Brooke Mallory
4:30 PM – Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Virginia Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger recently touted the signing of legislation supporting $7.1 billion in new business investments. However, records show that these projects were originally secured and announced under her predecessor, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The investments involve four major bills authorizing state incentives for AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Avio USA, and Hitachi Energy. Together, these projects are expected to create more than 3,200 jobs across sectors ranging from pharmaceutical manufacturing and electrical grid infrastructure to solid rocket motor production.
The “closing” of these deals by the current administration contrasts with the fact that the recruitment and primary negotiations occurred during the Youngkin era.
The $4 billion AstraZeneca and $2 billion Eli Lilly projects — comprising nearly 85% of the total investment — were publicly announced and celebrated by Youngkin (R-Va.) in late 2025. Executives from these companies, including AstraZeneca’s CEO, explicitly credited Youngkin’s team for the speed and support that secured the Virginia sites.
Regarding Hitachi Energy, the company’s expansion was similarly tied to Youngkin’s support and the Trump administration’s White House AI Action Plan — months before Spanberger took office.
“From my very first day in office, I have been working to create a stable business environment so companies can hire, expand, and continue to invest in our Commonwealth,” Spanberger said in the announcement. “Attracting new businesses and jobs to Virginia is a core focus of my administration — and I’m proud of the hundreds of millions of dollars in investment we have already announced this year.”
All four companies have reported that their investments were made last year while Youngkin was governor, according to a 7News post on X. The companies posted quotes from Youngkin from when he was announcing the investments in 2025.
Notably, AstraZeneca’s CEO personally thanked Youngkin and his team, saying the company “found in Virginia an amazing team that moves at incredible speed to build a better future for this Commonwealth and the American people.”
Hitachi Energy reps also similarly added that its new Virginia facility came “with the support of Governor Youngkin,” and “the Trump Administration’s White House AI Action Plan.” Ultimately, each of the companies had announced their investments in November, before Spanberger was even elected in November last year.
Nonetheless, responding to the news, Youngkin’s spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon that the former GOP governor is just appreciative that his state continues to reap the benefits of his tenure.
“The last three months have been nothing but horrible news for Virginians as Abigail Spanberger broke every single promise she made on the campaign trail,” Youngkin’s spokesman said. “Governor Youngkin is happy that Virginians are being reminded of some good news, even if it means Gov. Spanberger taking credit for the economic deals he secured for the Commonwealth.”
Following the surfacing reports of Spanberger “riding on someone else’s coattails,” the Democrat’s representatives have also since chimed in — arguing that although Youngkin closed all the deals and personally got the commitments, Spanberger’s administration and the new legislature handled the final legislative step to fund the incentives.
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