“Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger asked Americans during the Democrat response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address.
It’s a familiar line of questioning from Spanberger — though it wasn’t prompted by anything Trump has said or done. Trump’s address highlighted falling inflation and easing prices thanks to his leadership. But it was familiar because it was the same affordability schtick she used when she campaigned for governor in November.
The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race was repeatedly framed as a referendum on affordability, as The Federalist reported in January.
Affordability takes center stage in New Jersey, Virginia governor races,” ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel wrote on Nov. 2, 2025. “Spanberger turns Virginia governor’s race into a test of Trump’s economy,” Politico’s Erin Doherty and Brakkton Booker wrote on Oct. 29, 2025. “Spangberger has stuck to a message on the economy, specifically the cost of life for Virginians.”
“It’s not about inflation or the economy — the election instead delivered a ‘wake-up call’ on affordability politics, top pollster says,” Fortune’s Jason Ma wrote on Nov. 8, 2025.
But branding is not the same as governing.
While in Congress, Spanberger voted 100 percent of the time with then-President Joe Biden, according to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). Some of the items Spanberger voted for included banning gas stoves and voting against permitting medical care for babies born alive after a failed abortion, according to the NRCC.
Spanberger’s radical policies have followed her into the governor’s mansion.
Under Spanberger’s leadership, Virginia Democrats have introduced House Bill 978, which would dramatically expand Virginia’s sales and use tax to cover a bevy of everyday services. Under the bill, taxes would be applied to gym memberships and fitness classes, dry cleaning, laundry services, pet care, home repairs and cleaning services, car repairs, delivery and shipping services, digital services, and event planning.
House Bill 900 would add a retail and use tax on “any county or city that is a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission at a rate of 0.385 percent; any county or city that is embraced by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority but that is not a member of the Northern Virginia Commission at the rate of 0.615 percent … a retail delivery fee in the amount of 20 cents upon each retail delivery … and a regional highway use tax fee on all vehicles in the Commonwealth that are subject to the existing highway use fee.”
Spanberger also announced plans to return Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative from which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin withdrew the state during his tenure. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative raises Virginians’ electricity costs, as admitted by the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council.
All this despite Spanberger telling Americans on Tuesday night that they can “demand more” and that Democrats are “working to lower costs” and “working for you.”
Spanberger’s response made clear that Democrats are counting on Americans not noticing that life is getting more affordable under Trump while Democrats like Spanberger continue to support policies that make life more expensive.
