RICHMOND, Va. β While they were separated by several hours, the candidates for Governor of Virginia shared the same stage Tuesday for the first time since their debate last week as they both addressed the Virginia Chamber of Commerce's Education and Workforce Conference and laid out their visions for improving those sectors.
The Chamber's interim president, Keith Martin, said workforce development is the key challenge facing Virginia.
"To be the best state for business, we also have to be the best state for talent," he said. "The number one issue, by far, not even close, is a highly-trained, well-educated workforce. So to be competitive for economic development, to attract businesses, to grow businesses in the state, we also have to grow our talent."
Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger addressed the audience in the morning and said among the biggest challenges facing both Virginia workers and businesses has been rising costs.
"Everything just costs too much. The cost of everyday goods and health care, housing, energy, it's putting real pressure on Virginia families. And it's not just a family budget issue. It's an economic competitiveness issue," Spanberger said. "When housing is unaffordable, businesses can't recruit and retain workers. When health care costs are too high, employers face higher expenses and workers have less money to spend. When energy bills rise, it cuts both into family budgets and business operations."
But she said the more immediate challenge is the federal job cuts under the administration of President Donald Trump, which CNBC said was a "big reason" for why Virginia lost its number one spot in 2025 in the outlet's Top State for Business rankings.
"When businesses decide where to locate or expand, as you all well know, they look for stability and predictability. They ask, 'Will my workforce be here in five years? Can I plan for the future?' And right now, some of the uncertainty we're facing makes those questions harder to answer," she said. "The same goes for talented graduates from our universities. They're asking, 'Should I stay in Virginia or move somewhere else?'β¦As Governor, I will refuse to let the chaos coming out of Washington define Virginia's future."
She also promised to push back on Trump's efforts to influence universities in Virginia, saying their "academic freedom is under threat."
Among the issues Spanberger said she would address if elected was providing more affordable childcare options as a lack of them have caused parents to leave the workforce.
"We have 13,000 families on the waiting list for the childcare subsidy program, and as governor, I'll work to expand access by investing in the subsidy program," she said.
On the education front, she said she would also work to recruit and retain more teachers, provide more internship and apprenticeship opportunities, and more support for Virginia's community colleges.
"For community colleges, Virginia invests less per student than West Virginia or North Carolina, our neighbors and competitors. I'll increase funding and strengthen programs like G3 and Fast Forward, helping Virginians earn credentials in high demand industries."
Spanberger added she would not repeal Virginia's right-to-work status, meaning workers are not required to join a union as part of their employment, but added there are other ways to support workers.
"Establishing statewide paid and family medical leave, for example. Increasing the supply of affordable housing and child care and finally, at long last, raising the minimum wage."
However, when Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears addressed the forum in the afternoon, she reminded attendees that Spanberger had co-sponsored legislation during her time in Congress that would have repealed it at the federal level.
"Right to work is an issue for me about liberty and about freedom. I will always defend Virginia's right to work. It's not an abstract policy to me. I have had businesses who said to meβ¦'If you don't win, we're not coming to Virginia. Or we're not staying in Virginia. Or we're not expanding in Virginia,.'" Sears said. "This principle has helped us attract high paying jobs."
In other parts of her speech, Sears went through various actions that have been taken under the administration of outgoing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
"Together with Governor Glenn Youngkin, we've created over 265,000 new jobs. We immediately reopened our schools and our work spaces when we came in to office," said Sears. "We've delivered $9-billion in tax relief. We've reduced or streamlined more than 100,000 regulations and that's only about 26-27% of all regulations in Virginia. My God, if you can get rid of 100,000 regulations and that's only a quarter -- yes, we've got still a long way to go. I will do that."
Sears said this has led to $140 billion in business investments by companies expanding or moving to Virginia, like Eli Lilly's $5-billion pharmaceutical plant in Goochland County. She added because of those jobs coming to Virginia, the Commonwealth needs to make sure its workforce is ready to meet the needs of the companies.
"So, that by the time they finish building their factories, their buildings their workforce, talent is also ready."
Sears said she and Youngkin have led the charge on the creation of lab schools and training students in new technologies like artificial intelligence. She also pointed to ideas in other states -- like co-op programs -- that alternate university students between their future career fields and the classroom.
"This is not just education, it's empowerment. It transforms students into contributors to our economy before they even graduate."
Whichever candidate does win in November, they are slated to return as the Governor-elect to the Chamber's December Economic Summit and Forum on International Trade and be presented with the Chamber's Blueprint 2035, which the group said will be its "comprehensive strategic plan" to return Virginia to its number one ranking as the top state for business.
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