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New poll reveals Spanberger’s popularity is plummeting amid backlash over gerrymandering

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Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was swept into the governor’s mansion on a deep blue wave last November, but has seen her popularity plummet after less than 3 months in office.

Forty-six percent of Virginians disapprove of her job performance, while 47% approve. Compared to Virginia governors from both sides of the aisle since 1994, Spanberger has the highest disapproval rating at this point in her term.

In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator – with a 78-20 rating.

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Warner’s current counterpart, Sen. Tim Kaine, was at 62-31, GOP Gov. Jim Gilmore III at 63-30, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell at 59-39 and Democrats Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam at 52-30 and 48-37 respectively.

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Spanberger defeated then-Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears by 15 points in November and completely flipped statewide offices to Democrats Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor and Jay Jones for attorney general.

The Post pointed out that while Spanberger’s favorability was narrow, her win dwarfed that of Youngkin’s over McAuliffe in 2021 – and the Falls Church business executive’s favorability was several points higher than hers.

George Mason University Policy & Government Dean Mark Rozell, a co-sponsor of the poll, told the Post that while some bit of political polarization is “baked in,” it was “unusual” to see such a result for Spanberger this early in her term after a campaign on a “centrist image.”

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Seven percent of Virginians, however, by contrast, cite her tenure as “too conservative.”

Spanberger’s shift on gerrymandering was recently evinced through redistricting referendum critics citing her own 2019 words back to her in recent mailers, according to reports.

“Gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy and it weakens the individual voices that form our electorates. Opposing gerrymandering should be a bipartisan priority,” Spanberger tweeted six years ago when Virginia considered its ultimately successful bid to remove map-redrawing power from the partisan legislature.

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However, Spanberger’s office recently denied claims that there had been any internal deals made involving her personally to help get more Democrats elected, particularly in the case of the Second Congressional District in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.

Spanberger has also received criticism for appearing to pivot on gun control, from a moderate stance while in Congress favoring commonsense reforms and citing her resume as a former gun-toting CIA agent and postal inspector, to a governor poised to sign sweeping gun bans drafted by far-left Fairfax Democrats.

“I’m a mother of three girls in Virginia Public Schools. I’m also a former federal agent who carried a gun every single day for my job,” she said at a 2025 rally. “So I come at this issue as someone who cares deeply about the safety of our kids and as someone who understands the responsibilities of owning and of carrying a firearm.”

The redistricting referendum has been criticized for unfairly empowering Spanberger’s base counties, as five newly-drawn districts would originate in Fairfax and envelop – and critics say overpower – the voices of rural central and Western Virginia.

One such district in particular, unfavorably shaped like a lobster according to critics, already has three notable Democratic candidates – gun control bill sponsor State Del. Dan Helmer of Fairfax, former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, and former Jack Smith deputy JP Cooney – despite the referendum not being officially decided by the voters until April 21.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

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Kevin Hart caddies for Bryson DeChambeau in Augusta National debut, delivering hilarious Par 3 Contest moments

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Kevin Hart said he’s been bitten by the golf bug. The award-winning actor and comedian make his debut at the historic Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday for the annual Par 3 contest.

Held annually on the eve of the Masters, the contest draws competitors’ families — and occasionally celebrities like Hart — for a rare chance to caddie or even take a swing on the prestigious course. This year Hart served as two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

While the pairing of a native Texan and golf pro’s with a Hollywood star may have seemed unlikley, the duo appeared to quickly form a connection at Augusta, with DeChambeau offering Hart some tips on the course.

When asked by ESPN about his goal for the day, Hart made it clear that he wanted “to be the best caddie that’s every caddied.”

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“I am not Kevin Hart the global superstar today. Please get that out of your mental. Not the movie star, the standup comedian that everybody knows around the world. Throw it in the bag. Today, I am Bryson’s caddie.”

DeChambeau then revealed he first met Hart while the comedian was diving deeper into golf — a connection that eventually landed them as teammates at one of the sport’s most iconic courses.

“We filmed a video a couple of months ago called ‘Caddie Talk,’ just Kevin and me, as he was getting into golf. I said, ‘Let’s do something fun together,’ so I showed him around the course. He turned into a pretty good caddie — and now he’s got the job here at the Par 3 Contest.”

But Hart ended up doing more than what is typical of a caddie on Wednesday. When he arrived at the No. 9 hole, the comedian grabbed one of DeChambeau’s irons, stepped up to the ball and boasted he would need just one shot.

“I was built for this,” Hart declared.

However, he wound up swinging and the ball falling into the water. The broadcaster gave Hart a slight reprieve pointing to the actor’s lack of golf experience and the difficulty of making a good swing while wearing caddie attire. “That’s alright, he just started golf seven months ago, golf’s a tough game,” the announcer noted. “I will give him the benefit of the doubt, it is kind of tough to swing in the caddie suit (and) with no glove.”

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GOP lawmaker introduces bill to strip asylum from fraudsters who vacation in countries they ‘fled’

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EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican moved Thursday to block asylum claims from foreigners who return to their home countries, introducing legislation after family members of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani were found to be living in Los Angeles.

Soleimani’s niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter were arrested by ICE last weekend, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted Afshar’s “outspoken support [for] the Iranian regime” and DHS reporting that her 2019 asylum claim was fraudulent, due in part to several trips back to the country she purported to flee.

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who is also running for the GOP nomination for governor of the Badger State, echoed DHS’ characterization of Afshar’s asylum claim as fraudulent in introducing the SAFER Act, or the “Stopping Asylum Fraudsters Enforcement and Removal Act.”

Tiffany said the bill ensures the federal asylum system is reserved only for foreigners with legitimate claims of persecution.

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The secretary of Homeland Security and the attorney general would be prohibited from granting asylum to anyone who returns to their home country, while also being empowered to terminate asylum status and denaturalize asylees who voluntarily return while living in the U.S.

“If someone claims they are fleeing danger and seeking asylum in the U.S., they should not be turning around and vacationing in the very country they said they had to escape,” Tiffany told Fox News Digital.

“Those who are truly fleeing danger don’t book round-trip tickets back to it.”

Afshar was granted asylum in 2019 during the first Trump administration and was later given a Green Card by the Biden administration, despite returning to Iran at least four times in the interim.

Under the bill, an asylee could legally return to their home country without risk of federal consequences only if the State Department certifies that a legitimate transfer of power has occurred and the original threat prompting that person’s asylum claim has been resolved.

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In the case that a migrant or asylee has no nationality, their claim will be analyzed based on their most recent “habitual residence.”

“The SAFER Act stops asylum fraudsters from exploiting the system and ensures they are removed from the United States,” Tiffany said.

Earlier this month, the State Department terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of a former senior Iranian official, and her husband.

Both are no longer in the U.S. and are barred from reentry.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

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Former top MLB pick Mickey Moniak makes bold sacrifice claim as Rockies seek to snap yearslong playoff drought

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The Colorado Rockies finished with the MLB’s worst record in 2025. The team fell to 2-5 early in the 2026 season after a 10-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.

The franchise has never won an NL West title or a World Series. The Rockies haven’t reached the postseason since 2018, when they clinched a wild-card berth. Complicating any hopes of a turnaround, the Rockies compete in a division with the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Despite the odds stacked against them, one of the Rockies’ emerging stars said he is eager to turn things around in Colorado and end the team’s playoff drought.

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Mickey Moniak, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, said he would go as far as amputating a body part if it guaranteed the Rockies advanced to the postseason.

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The Colorado outfielder was sidelined for six of the Rockies’ first seven games this season with a sprained right ring finger. But if the team were in position for a playoff push, his availability likely would have been different. “Oh, I would have cut it off,” Moniak told reporters.

Moniak debuted with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020 before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels in 2022. After appearing in 124 games in 2024, he signed with the Rockies the following year. He had a standout 2025 campaign, hitting a career-best 24 home runs and recording 68 RBIs. Moniak also stole nine bases.

The Rockies completed a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros on Wednesday, moving to 6-6 early in the 2026 season.

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