Gov.-Elect Abigail Spanberger

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Gov.-Elect Abigail Spanberger
Date: January 17, 2026
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger (Virginia)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features a candid, insightful conversation between Stephen Colbert and Virginia’s Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger, focusing on her historic election, governing philosophy, approach to bipartisanship, and personal anecdotes. The discussion covers Spanberger’s expectations as the incoming governor, her thoughts on current federal versus state tensions, her previous law enforcement and intelligence experience, and her history of working across the aisle. Lighthearted moments about family and friendships balance deeper policy topics, creating an engaging mix of political insight and personality.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Historic Election Win & Campaign Lessons

[01:32–02:21]

• Spanberger won by a remarkable 15-point margin, surprising even in a favorable race.

• On what Democrats should learn:

  “People want someone who's focused on the issues that keep them up at night. That is, can they afford to live their life, keep their house, pay for their medicine, are their kids getting a good education to set them up and are they safe in their communities?” — Abigail Spanberger [01:56]

• Emphasized the need for practical, issue-driven leadership.

2. Personal and Family Moments

[02:27–03:27]

• A memorable clip from Spanberger’s acceptance speech highlights her realness as a mom:

  “To my daughters, Claire, Charlotte, and Katherine. You inspire me and motivate me every single day. I am lucky to be your mother. And, Catherine, you did not clean your room today, as you promised me. I'm working on.” — Abigail Spanberger [02:42]

• Colbert and Spanberger laugh over the public’s involvement in holding her child accountable:

  “She’s come home from school or Girl Scouts or all her activities with a little bit of an attitude, because people in public are asking her, have you cleaned your room? It takes a village.” — Spanberger [03:13]

3. First Female Governor and "Her Excellency"

[03:27–04:44]

• Spanberger reflects on being the first woman elected governor in Virginia and family reactions to the formal title:

  “People … are so excited it is that for the first time in Virginia, people will say, her Excellency … you could hear a woman in the back say, I’m not doing that. It was my … middle sister making her opinion known.” — Spanberger [03:41]

4. State vs. Federal Authority and Enforcement Tactics

[04:48–08:25]

• Colbert questions her views on the use of federal forces (ex: National Guard, ICE) in states without consent.
• Spanberger draws on her background as a former federal agent and CIA officer, emphasizing trust in law enforcement:

  “What I learned … is your ability to do your job is built on trust. … When people are going in wearing masks, terrifying communities, they’re breaking down that trust, and it is actually impeding the ability to keep our community safe.” — Spanberger [05:32]

• Promises to assert Virginia’s autonomy and resist fear-driven federal interventions, unless legally warranted.

5. Governance Philosophy and Bipartisanship

[08:25–11:00]

• Colbert highlights Spanberger’s reputation as a highly bipartisan legislator.
• Spanberger explains the necessity of cross-party support for effective lawmaking:

  “If you want to get things done, if you want a Republican president to sign your bill, you got to have support for it. … Sometimes I would tell my team that even a broken clock is right twice a day.” — Spanberger [09:09]

• Shares anecdotes about working with Chip Roy (R-TX) on banning Congressional stock trading:

  “We agree on just about nothing, but … we both agreed that members of Congress should not be able to trade stocks when they’re serving in Congress.” — Spanberger [09:09–10:23] “That bill has very broad bipartisan support now in the House. … There’s support, frankly importantly, among the American people who want to know that … they’re not trying to influence the stock market so they can make a few bucks.” — Spanberger [10:23]

6. Personal Anecdotes: Roommates in Congress

[11:00–12:18]

• Spanberger and recent Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill (NJ) were roommates in Congress.
• Lighthearted discussion on Sherrill's kitchen habits and their humble culinary beginnings:

  “She would leave dishes in the sink for an extended period of time. She would frequently burn things too when she would cook and then leave it to soak.” — Spanberger [11:35] “We were getting our frozen meals from CVS. We really upgraded at one point during our time in Congress to frozen meals from Trader Joe’s. So it felt like we’d arrived.” — Spanberger [11:50]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On governing priorities:
  “It's really pretty straightforward. And in Virginia on Saturday, we're going to get to work.” — Spanberger [02:17]
• On practical leadership:
  “I believe in accountability.” — Spanberger [03:09]
• On state autonomy and law enforcement:
  “We have an incredible guard in Virginia, and it is up to the governor to bring forth the Virginia Guard to help our citizens … We do not need outside support unless the governor is the one who makes that request.” — Spanberger [06:59]
• Colbert’s humor about state formalities:
  “So in Virginia, as in New York, they call the governor your Excellency … Are you going to get your family to do that?” — Stephen Colbert [03:27]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:32] — Start of interview: Election win reaction
• [02:42] — Clip of acceptance speech with the “clean your room” moment
• [04:48] — Conversation shifts to federal pressure on states
• [08:25] — Discussion on bipartisanship and working with Chip Roy
• [11:15] — Roommate stories with Mikie Sherrill
• [12:18] — Episode wrap and goodbye

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Tone and Language

Throughout the podcast, the tone is warm, direct, and sometimes playful, reflecting Colbert’s wit and Spanberger’s down-to-earth candor. The candid stories—whether about parenting, lawmaking, or burnt dinners—humanize the guest and reinforce larger themes of accountability, public service, and refusing to be distracted by political theater.

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Summary

If you missed the episode, you’d come away understanding Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger’s core priorities as a leader: practical, people-focused politics, bipartisanship out of necessity (not just aspiration), and a grounded personal approach to both family and new responsibilities. The conversation offers a blend of humor and substance, giving listeners an inside look at what Virginia’s first female governor values as she prepares to take office.

Transcript

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[C]

Welcome back, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest will be sworn in on Saturday as the governor of Virginia, becoming the state's first female executive. Please welcome governor elect Abigail Spanberger. Thanks for being here.

[D]

Thank you for. Thank you for having me.

[C]

Nice to meet you. You won your election in Virginia by 15 points.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

You know, you were favored, but that was still a surprise. Were you surprised by that spread?

[D]

No.

[C]

Okay, I'll leave that there. Lots of commentary dissecting what the Democratic Party can learn from that big of a win. What do you think they can learn from your race?

[D]

Well, I think it's pretty. I think it comes down to the fact that people want someone who's focused on the issues that keep them up at night. That is, can they afford to live their life, keep their house, pay for their medicine, are their kids getting a good education to set them up and are they safe in their communities? It's really pretty straightforward. And in Virginia on Saturday, we're going to get to work.

[C]

Oh, that's right, you get snoring on Saturday. Do you have your speech all done and everything?

[D]

Mostly done, yes.

[C]

Mostly done. Okay. There was a moment in your acceptance speech the night you won that was Delightful. And we ran it on the show. I wish we'd run it every night because I love it so much. And we're gonna run it again right here because I love it so much. Here we go.

[D]

To my daughters, Claire, Charlotte, and Katherine. You inspire me and motivate me every single day. I am lucky to be your mother. And, Catherine, you did not clean your room today, as you promised me. I'm working on.

[A]

I. I love.

[C]

I love mom keeping it real, but I also love her saying, I'm working on it.

[D]

I believe in accountability. Sure.

[C]

Has this clip helped with that?

[D]

Well, what has been delightful is she's come home from school or come home from Girl Scouts or come home for all her activities with a little bit of an attitude, because people in public are asking her, have you cleaned your room? It takes a village.

[C]

Exactly. So in Virginia, as in New York, they call the governor your Excellency.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay. That must be exciting to look forward to. And do you think you're gonna get your family to do that?

[D]

Well, so it's exciting. I'm the first woman elected governor. And. So broadly speaking, people across Virginia will make comments about how exciting it is that for the first time in Virginia, people will say, her Excellency. Yes. And we were at an event in Virginia a number of months before the election. Huge, huge event. And the gentleman who was introducing me was so excited to say, and in just a few months, when we introduce her, everyone will stand and say, her Excellency. And then there was a brief lull in the crowd, and you could hear a woman in the back say, I'm not doing that. It was my sister, Older sister, younger sister, my middle sister, my middle sister making her opinion known to my mother. So perhaps not at family holidays.

[C]

Okay, so you're a lot of responsibility as a governor.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Governors have recently, across the United States have been put in a sort of an untenable situation, having their states invaded by their own federal government against their wishes, sending National Guard troops from other states when they weren't asked to do so. Minnesota and Illinois. And we just found this out. This is actually right before I came out here. It was announced that Minnesota and Illinois have announced that they're suing. The Trump administration over. Illinois already won over the National Guard. Now they're suing over ICE being sent in. What's your reaction to what's happening?

[D]

So I'm the incoming governor of Virginia, but I also began my career as a federal agent. I used to work narcotics in money laundering cases. I carried a gun Every day I worked on task forces with local, state and federal police. And what I learned every single day in law enforcement is your ability to do your job is built on trust. And what we are seeing day in and day out when people are going in wearing masks, terrifying communities, is that they're breaking down that trust, and it is actually impeding the ability to keep our community safe, to enforce the law. And as governor, I will ensure that we are a place where, yes, we uphold the law, but people know that if they are a victim of a crime or if they are a witness of a crime or if they are a community member, that they are in a place where there is trust that is being built and not degraded day in and day out by the tactics we're seeing.

[A]

Well, what if.

[C]

Just take these two scenarios, National Guard troops are sent from another state, say Texas, to Virginia, or ICE was sent in at this level of force and seemingly just to harass and to instill fear. Or what responses can you have as a governor within Virginia law that is not superseded by federal law to actually protect the citizens of your state or the residents of your state?

[D]

Well, at the end of the day, if there is an emergency in Virginia that requires the support of the Guard, first and foremost, we have an incredible guard in Virginia, and it is up to the governor to. To. To bring forth the Virginia Guard to help our citizens free. We do not need outside support unless the governor is the one who makes makes that request. And so, as the incoming governor of Virginia, I will make known to the Trump administration that we. That we do not want. We do not want them trying to sow fear, to sow division within our communities. And if there is a warrant, absolutely. If there isn't a warrant for someone's arrest, there's a room for coordination between law enforcement agencies. But what we have seen in places like Minnesota, it is. It is not meeting any end goal of making us safer. And as someone who used to focus on counterterrorism cases when I was a CIA officer, after my time in law enforcement, what really worries me is the fact that so many of our law enforcement capabilities are being pivoted away from investigating crimes and investigating potential threats that exist within our communities as they are leveraging people to pivot over towards sowing fear in communities.

[C]

We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more Abigail Spanberger. Hey, everybody. We're back with the Governor elect of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, before you left the house a year ago, you were ranked as one of the most bipartisan members, number 17 out of 436. That's top tier. What did it take for you to legislate that way and why did you want to? Because it's out of vogue.

[D]

So if you want to get things done, if you want a Republican president to sign your bill, you got to have support for it. If you want a Republican Senate leader to bring your bill for a vote after it passes in a Democratic led House, you need to have broad bipartisan support. Sometimes I would tell my team that even a broken clock is right twice a day. It gets a little bit difficult when you are dealing with younger people who don't necessarily have the visual, although it does work on a digital clock. But I developed, I think, an unlikely friendship, I'll say, with a Republican from Texas, Chip Roy. If you don't know him, Google him. We have really very little in common politically. We agree on just about nothing, but we were both elected to Congress the same year. We both have the same birthday, and we both went to uva, and we were elected the year that uva. I was doing very well in basketball. So as we won the national championship and as we were all excited, wah hoo wah, we said, where could we work together? It turns out just about nowhere was the answer, with a notable exception, which is we both agreed that members of Congress should not be able to trade stocks when they're serving in Congress.

[C]

That sounds reasonable.

[D]

Yeah. And Chip and I, in fact, I think by the very nature of our differences, we're able to bring a lot of people together. That bill has very broad bipartisan support now in the House. I've turned it over to Seth Magaziner, who is a member of Congress still there, and Chip Roy continues to carry it. And there's support, frankly importantly, among the American people who want to know that when people are casting their ballot, they're doing it because they believe in or against something and not that they're trying to influence the stock market so they can make a few bucks.

[C]

You also work, As I said, Governor Elect Mikey Sherrill of New Jersey, as it was sworn in a few days after you. She was on the show not that long ago. She was your former colleague in the House.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

But more importantly, you guys were roommates in Congress. Yes, in Congress because, you know, basically you always come back on the weekends. Well, you can in Virginia. It's easy. You know, you come back on the weekends after serving during the week. What was she like as a roommate? Did she clean up after? Did she clean her bedroom.

[D]

I'm not going to comment on that, but I will say she would leave dishes in the sink for an extended period of time. She would frequently burn things too when she would cook and then leave it to soak.

[C]

But as you noted, you got it, you got to soak it.

[D]

Yeah, but like you mentioned, we were there during the week, so if she cooked something and left it to soak, it was there for days. But she was a wonderful, wonderful roommate, wonderful friend. And we really progressed, I think, from the point where we were getting our frozen meals from cvs. We really upgraded at one point during our time in Congress to frozen meals from Trader Joe's. So it felt like we'd arrived.

[C]

Well, Governor, thank you so much for being here.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

Congratulations. I hope Saturday's a great day. Governor elect Abigail Spanberger, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

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