Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor, and the first woman to hold that office, at noon on Saturday.
How to watch: We’ll have a livestream from Virginia Public Media. The livestream is set to start about 11:20 a.m. The link will post on our site Saturday morning.
Ceremonial details: Spanberger will be sworn in by former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Mims, a former Republican state attorney general and state legislator from Loudoun County. They have become friends over the years.
Ghazala Hashmi will be sworn in as lieutenant governor by Cleo Powell, the chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court. Hashmi is the first Muslim woman to be elected to a statewide office anywhere in the United States. She’ll be sworn in on her family’s Quran and an original version of the United States Constitution printed in 1799 on loan from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture located in Richmond. Her office says “these cultural and historic artifacts reflect the nation’s founding legal structures, our commitment to religious plurality and freedoms, and the richness of the Commonwealth’s diversity.”
Jay Jones will be sworn in as attorney general, but no details have been announced.
Order of events: After the swearing-in, there will be a military flyover and cannon salute from the Virginia National Guard. An advisory has been issued that the cannon salute might trigger car alarms in downtown Richmond.
Then Spanberger delivers her inaugural address, followed by the inaugural parade, all of which will be on the livestream.
Cardinal News will have full coverage of the ceremony.