Notable Hoover Institute scholar Dr. Victor Davis Hanson recently coined the term the “Four Horsemen of the Western Apocalypse.” Dr. Hanson cites the factors represented by this metaphor as those responsible for the destruction of the vitality of countries and U.S. states. 

In terms of countries think Germany, the UK, and France. For states the salient examples are California, New York and Illinois. These locations are characterized by stagnant economies, high taxes, high unemployment, and high crime rates.  

The Four Horsemen Defined

The Four Horseman defined by Dr. Hanson are green, new deal advocacy; Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI); unlimited immigration; and declining birth rates. Abigail Spanberger and Democrat Virginia Legislature candidates will bring all of these to Virginia. 

Spanberger and the Democratic Agenda

Abigail Spanberger and the Democrats rabidly support the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA). This act requires a transition to carbon free electricity generation in Virginia by 2045 for Dominion Energy and 2050 for the Appalachian Power Company. In contradiction to the Democrat advertisements that indicate Republicans will cost Virginians money, the VCEA represents a salient example of Democrats costing money. 

Steve Haner of the Thomas Jefferson Institute estimates that a 1,000-kilowatt hour monthly residential electricity bill will rise from $116 just before the implementation of the 2020 VCEA to an estimated $170 within two years, an almost 50% increase. Mr. Haner notes that this is not the end, as additional VCEA compliance costs will keep piling on for years to come. This will be exacerbated by Ms. Spanberger’s pledge to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) at an estimated current annual cost to Virginians of $500 million. 

What do Virginians get from the VCEA and RGGI – higher energy costs, an unreliable grid, and the visual blight of massive deployments of solar panels and wind farms. We also get a non-competitive economy with its attendant business and job loss. This price is paid by Virginians for no measurable impact on world carbon production. 

Abigail Spanberger has expressed strong support for DEI initiatives. She frames DEI as a tool for building inclusive communities, addressing systemic barriers, and ensuring fair opportunities in education, government, and public services. She has gone so far as to pledge to create a dedicated cabinet-level role focused on DEI if elected governor. 

What do Ms. Spanberger and her Democrat allies promise Virginians through their emphatic support of DEI. They promise prioritization of demographic criteria over qualifications undermining merit-based systems (think non-merit based doctors and pilots), reverse discrimination disadvantaging one group over another based on a group’s immutable characteristics, cultural division in our society stemming from disparate treatment of groups based on immutable characteristics, cost to support the bureaucratic infrastructure required to enforce DEI mandates, and infringement on individual freedoms from “woke” authoritarianism. Ms. Spanberger and the democrats are out of step with the U.S. Supreme Court and ignore the maxim – the way to quit discriminating is to quit discriminating. 

Abigail Spanberger supports the Democrat party’s positions on illegal immigration. Among her key positions are: 

• A pledge to immediately repeal Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 47 (issued February 2025), which mandates state police and local jails assist ICE in identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants,
• Support for an earned pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants, and
• Opposition to the wall – favors increased resources (agents, judges) over a physical barrier.

In short, she is fully supportive of ex-President Biden’s failed immigration policies. These policies have delivered an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants over the last four years burdening welfare systems, schools, and healthcare facilities and posing enormous costs to U.S. taxpayers.

The fourth Horseman, declining birth rates, has serious implications for all western societies. The U.S. currently has a fertility rate of 1.62 children per couple. The estimated fertility rates for Virginia, California, New York and Illinois are 1.60, 1.52, 1.55 and 1.50 children per couple, respectively. The replacement rate, i.e., the fertility rate that maintains a population is regarded as 2.1 children per couple. Fertility rates below the replacement rate imply an aging population leading to a society in which ever greater numbers of older members rely on an ever-decreasing number of younger members for economic support. 

The factors leading to reduced fertility rates in the first world countries are complex, but salient among them are a high cost of living and high unemployment rates, factors that keep young people in their parents’ basements. These factors are created by the other three Horseman strongly supported by Abigail Spanberger.

The Stakes for Virginians

Abigail Spanberger is portrayed in her advertisements as a moderate democrat who will reduce living costs for Virginians. Don’t be fooled. If we want to create California in Virginia the surest way of doing that is to install Ms. Spanberger in the Virginia Executive Mansion and back her with a Democrat controlled legislature.