Within the next year, Virginians could be earning a higher minimum wage, taking advantage of expanded paid family and sick leave, buying recreational cannabis from a shop legally, and voting on whether to enshrine abortion rights and marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.
These aren’t hypotheticals. It’s the agenda Democrats say they’re readying after Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s mansion and the party expanded its majority in the House of Delegates earlier this month.
Democrats will head into the 2026 session with a long list of ideas, including proposals that stalled under Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. But a handful rise to the top. Below is a breakdown of the big-ticket items they plan to vote on—and the issues likely to define the next four years. Most have a good chance of passing because Democrats now control all levers of government.
Constitutional Amendments: Abortion, Marriage Equality, and Voting Rights
At the top of the list are four constitutional amendments that Democrats say they will move at the very start of the session on January 14.
Three of them—protecting reproductive freedom, affirming marriage equality, and restoring voting rights after a felony sentence—already passed the General Assembly in 2025. If lawmakers approve them again, they will have 90 days to put the measures on the ballot, potentially setting up an April referendum.
Redrawing Congressional Maps
A potential fourth amendment would give Virginia’s legislature temporary authority through 2030 to revise its congressional map mid-decade if another state redraws outside the normal census cycle. Democrats say the change is needed to keep pace with a rapidly unfolding national redistricting battle.
Texas was the first to approve a new congressional map that could add as many as five GOP seats after President Donald Trump urged Republican-led legislatures to redraw their districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. A panel of federal judges, however, blocked that map this week, calling it “unconstitutional.”
North Carolina, Missouri, and Ohio are also pursuing similar changes that could add at least one additional Republican-held seat in each state. On the West Coast, California voters approved Proposition 50 earlier this month, giving lawmakers the green light to adopt a new map projected to net Democrats about five additional seats, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. If Virginia moves ahead with its own map, Democrats could gain an additional two to three seats in the next Congress.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell of Fairfax says Democrats want to advance all four constitutional amendments within the “first five days” of the session. He noted that the redistricting proposal, which must also clear the General Assembly again during a special session this summer, could land on the November ballot if everything goes as planned.
Affordability: Higher Minimum Wage, Paid Sick Leave, and Lower Energy Costs
Democrats also plan to follow through on their affordability agenda by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding paid leave, and taking steps to lower household energy costs.
The minimum-wage bill, which Surovell calls “top of the list,” would restart increases that stalled under Youngkin and raise the wage to $12.77 in 2026, $13.75 in 2027, and $15 in 2028 (the minimum wage in the neighboring District of Columbia is $17.95; Maryland’s statewide minimum wage is $15, and some counties require higher minimums depending on the employer’s size). Youngkin previously vetoed an increase in the minimum wage, arguing that higher labor costs could squeeze small businesses. Democrats counter that the phased schedule gives employers time to adjust while helping workers keep up with rising costs.
A separate bill would create a statewide paid sick leave and expand who qualifies. Workers would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, with unused hours rolling over, and could use the leave for illness, caring for family, medical appointments, or dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Employees would keep any accrued time if they change divisions or if their workplace is sold. The bill bars retaliation and allows the state to fine employers or take legal action if workers are denied their leave.
Democrats are also planning to vote on legislation that would require utilities to identify cost-saving efficiency upgrades, expand weatherization assistance for low-income families, and regularly report on efforts to reduce customer bills.
Jeremy Mayer, a political scientist at George Mason University, says affordability is the clearest path for Democrats to deepen their gains in red-leaning communities, many of which drifted slightly blue this year. “Every single county in Virginia moved blue in the last election, but a lot of them are still deep red,” he says. “But a minimum wage boost is something that Democrats can run on for the next five years.”
Legal Recreational Cannabis Sales
Democrats say they also plan to finally launch a legal adult-use cannabis market after voting to legalize possession in 2021. Medical cannabis has been legal in the commonwealth for years, but lawmakers never created a licensed system for recreational sales, leaving Virginians able to possess marijuana but without a regulated way to buy it.
No bill has officially been proposed, but both Surovell and Spanberger say it is on Democrats’ priority list.
Housing, Guns, and Data Centers
A few other major items could come up this session or later in Spanberger’s term—including housing affordability, gun regulation, and the rapid expansion of data centers—though it’s unclear how quickly lawmakers will move.
Surovell says Democrats want to pursue measures including a ban on AR-15-style rifles and stronger safe-storage rules. No bills are filed yet, but that doesn’t mean they are off the table.
House Democrats also introduced a bill aimed at keeping existing affordable apartments from disappearing. It would let cities and counties require landlords to give advance notice before affordability restrictions expire and, in some cases, give local governments or nonprofit partners the first opportunity to buy the property and preserve the units long term. Localities would also be able to fine owners who fail to comply.
Spanberger campaigned on broader structural changes to tackle Virginia’s high housing costs, including faster permitting, targeted zoning updates, converting underused commercial space into housing, and major new investments in the state housing trust fund. These bigger policy goals, however, are expected to roll out more gradually.
Still, Surovell says Virginia’s housing shortage has escalated into an economic “crisis” that demands immediate attention, particularly in Northern Virginia. “It takes too long to build, and it’s too expensive to build new housing,” he says. “It’s really begun to undermine the competitiveness of Northern Virginia for attracting new and young talent.”
Data centers are also drawing attention as the state grapples with rising electricity demand. Lawmakers are looking at recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission that would require data centers to dial back their power use during peak hours, give utilities clearer authority to slow or delay new hookups when the grid is overloaded, and make sure everyday customers don’t get stuck paying for expensive equipment if a facility shuts down. Local governments could also get more say over new projects, including reviewing water use and requiring noise-reduction plans.
“There’s no question that data centers have created some real challenges on the grid that need to be dealt with,” Surovell says, adding that any major overhaul will likely unfold over multiple sessions.
