Virginia’s newly elected governor, Abigail Spanberger, took the stage Tuesday night with all the grace of a seasoned politician—and wasted no time throwing jabs across the Potomac. Her victory speech, packed with carefully rehearsed one-liners, was part history lesson, part self-congratulation, and part passive-aggressive attack on President Trump without daring to say his name.
She led with, “Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos.” Translation: “I’m the sensible grown-up, and the other side is just a mess.” That’s rich coming from a Democrat who spent the last few years voting in lockstep with her party while pretending to be a centrist. It’s the usual rebrand we’ve come to expect when Democrats win statewide office in a place that still has a sizable conservative base.
Spanberger, a former CIA officer and Democratic congresswoman, did make history as Virginia’s first female governor. And to her credit, she used the moment to highlight her family and faith. She shared a story about her husband telling their daughters, “Your mom is going to be the governor of Virginia.” Okay, sure. It’s a heartwarming line, but it also set the tone for a speech more focused on optics than substance.
She promised to focus on kitchen-table issues—“lowering costs, keeping our communities safe, and strengthening our economy.” Funny how those same issues suddenly matter again now that the election’s over. This is the same party that told us inflation was transitory, crime was a conspiracy theory, and the economy was fine as long as you weren’t buying groceries or gas.
To her credit, Spanberger gave a nod to her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, acknowledging her military service and calling it a “hard-fought race.” That’s standard fare in a concession sandwich. But let’s not kid ourselves: the olive branch came with a dagger tucked underneath. She pivoted straight into veiled attacks on Trump-era policies, warning that the federal workforce is “under attack” and that Washington is “killing Virginia jobs and creating uncertainty.”
She didn’t say Trump’s name, but we all know who she meant. It’s the same tired playbook—talk unity while jabbing at the former president and his supporters. She leaned heavily into Virginia’s founding legacy, dropping names like Washington and Jefferson, and claiming this is where democracy was born and is “still being perfected.” Whatever that means.
So now Spanberger gets her shot. She promised unity and competence. But judging by that victory speech, we should all brace for more DNC talking points in a moderate costume.
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