With the Virginia gubernatorial election quickly approaching, News 5 reached out to both candidates for governor.

Abigail Spanberger is the democratic nominee.

Her most recent political position was as U.S. representative for Virginia’s 7th congressional district from 2019 to 2025.

Recently along the campaign trail, Spanberger announced a healthcare affordability plan.

“Healthcare is so frequently one of the top issues that keeps so many Virginians up at night,” she said.

Spanberger told News 5 she plans to implement a single Virginia-run pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) which is typically a third-party company that manages prescription drug benefits.

She says this would help save Southwest Virginia taxpayers money and drive down drug costs.

“In Virginia we know that there is more that we can do to use the power of the state to get better prices for Virginia and to ensure that transparency is part of the process in terms of hospital costs,” she said.

News 5 also asked Spanberger what topics surrounding Virginia state politics she plans to address.

She spoke on the issue that so many Southwest Virginians have been battling, rising power bills.

“In the coming weeks that will be another focus and something that I know has also been on the minds of so many members of the general assembly. I look forward to working with them to find real solutions,” she said.

News 5 also asked why Southwest Virginian’s should cast their ballots for her.

“We need to have a focus on what might be the unique needs of Southwest Virginia and we need a governor who is going to spend time there,” she said.

You can see Spanberger’s full interview here.

News 5 has reached out to republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears for an interview but has been unable to set a time.