Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger was met with boos at the Virginia Old Fiddlers’ Convention over the weekend, adding to the political pressure facing the Democratic governor during her first year in office.
According to Fox News, Spanberger was booed after being introduced at the annual event in Galax, where musicians and visitors gathered for the convention’s 90th year.
Video from the event showed portions of the crowd reacting negatively as she took the microphone for roughly 30 seconds.
Spanberger later promoted her appearance on social media but did not mention the reaction from the crowd.
"I'm in Galax. We just went to the Old Fiddlers' Convention and I joined community members at the Poor Man's Dinner," Spanberger said in a video. "It was an incredible time. There was great food, great music, and great community."
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The reception comes as Spanberger faces declining approval numbers.
A July poll from Virginia Commonwealth University found that 44% of registered voters approved of her job performance, while 47% disapproved.
The governor has also faced criticism over a failed effort to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts in the middle of the decade.
Spanberger backed the Democratic redistricting push, which voters narrowly approved in April following a campaign that reportedly cost about $70 million.
The Virginia Supreme Court later rejected the plan in a 4-3 ruling, saying lawmakers had failed to follow required constitutional procedures.
Republicans have seized on the dispute as evidence that Spanberger moved away from the moderate image she presented during her campaign.
Del. Tom Garrett, a Republican, criticized the governor over the redistricting effort and said she had previously opposed such a move before backing it.
Del. Wren Williams, whose district includes Galax, also pointed to Spanberger’s affordability agenda while criticizing the redistricting campaign.
"If you think about the affordability agenda that has been run on and that she has championed, where are the results of that?" Williams said.
Spanberger’s office defended her visit, saying she and her husband, Adam, enjoyed the convention and spent time speaking with community members.
The Old Fiddlers’ Convention is a longtime Galax tradition featuring bluegrass and old-time music performances and competitions.
The incident also highlights the political divide between Virginia’s Democratic strongholds and more conservative parts of the state.
Spanberger won the governor’s race by 15 points last November, but the reception in Southwest Virginia showed that her support remains far from universal.