VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — At two back-to-back public appearances in Richmond and Virginia Beach this week, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger outlined her plan to maintain a stable business environment in the state and discussed several legislative priorities related to energy, housing and health care.

Spanberger spoke at the Hampton Roads Chamber in Virginia Beach on Wednesday, telling the audience of more than 500 people that she’s eager to start her new job next month. Her goal, she said, is to provide calmness in the storm for farmers and small business owners who are feeling the pain of tariffs and for families concerned about cuts to health care.

“Right now we have chaos coming out of Washington that is damaging or challenging Virginia’s business environment, driving up costs, complicating planning and creating some barriers to growth,” Spanberger said. “We can’t afford to ignore the damage that we are seeing right to the economy coming from decisions made in Washington.”

Among the dozens of business leaders assembled at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, several state legislators and mayors from across the region attended the event. Spanberger assured the crowd that she will work to keep Virginia’s business environment steady through any trickle down effects of the Trump administration’s federal decisions.

“Over the next four years, I will be laser-focused on attracting new business investment to our commonwealth, expanding trade opportunities for Virginia businesses and building an economy where every Virginian can earn a living to support a family and have confidence in a secure retirement,” she said.

The former three-term congresswoman was elected governor of Virginia in November, defeating Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. Spanberger, 46, is the first woman to be elected governor of the commonwealth. Her inauguration is Jan. 17.

Spanberger began filling her cabinet last week and more appointments are expected in the coming days. Among them, Stanley Meador, an FBI special agent, as secretary of public safety and homeland security; Richmond native Nick Donohue as secretary of transportation; and Del. Candi King, of Northern Virginia, as secretary of the commonwealth.

“We are working to make sure my administration is ready to hit the ground running in January,” she said.

Speaking at an event in Richmond hosted by Politico Tuesday night, Spanberger said she plans to prioritize legislation related to energy, housing and health care.

On the energy front, that could look like greater investment in solar energy.

“Virginia is the largest net importer of energy at the moment, and we need to increase our generation here in the commonwealth, she said. “I support varied forms of generation, but if you’re going to put small modular reactors, which we have coming to Virginia, that’s still years and years down the road. If you’re going to put any sort of natural gas plant, that still takes multiple years. One of the fastest ways that you can get to generation is through solar.”

Some of that legislation will include increasing solar battery storage goals, she said.

Spanberger reiterated at the Chamber event that she will not repeal Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state, after which the audience broke into applause. She received a similar response from the crowd in Richmond at the Virginia Chamber event last week, according to news reports. Right-to-work laws allow employees to work without being forced to join a union or pay union dues.

Spanberger’s administration plans to connect with four-year institutions to promote technical and apprenticeship programs.

“We need to make sure these opportunities lead to good paying jobs here in Virginia,” she said.

Though she did not provide details at Tuesday’s event, Spanberger also said she would be moving on some executive orders related to affordability and would be rolling out an economic agenda next week.

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Staff writer Kate Seltzer contributed to this report.

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