Abigail Spanberger to deliver Democratic response as abigail rises
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response after President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, a move that lifts abigail onto the national stage with the traditional rebuttal speech. The selection comes as Democrats debate strategy — including whether some should boycott the address — and as Spanberger's profile grows.
Abigail's rise and profile
All eyes are on Abigail Spanberger following the announcement that she will speak after President Donald Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday night. Party officials see the rebuttal as a chance to raise the profile of a rising star Democrat who has been hailed as one of the faces representing the future of the Democratic Party.
Election and Richmond change
Spanberger was elected to lead the commonwealth last year, ending Republican control in Richmond and defeating former Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears by roughly 15 points. Her battleground district credentials are cited as a likely reason she was chosen to lead this year's response, in a year when the left is working to appeal to swing voters who are turned off by Trump.
Congressional history and "The Badasses"
Spanberger was first elected to Congress during the "blue wave" of 2018, defeating incumbent former GOP Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., by only about 2%. She became the first woman to represent the district and the first Democrat elected there since the 1970s. While media attention that year focused on far-left members such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N. Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and ex-Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Spanberger sought to set herself apart.
She and four other Democrat women with national security backgrounds formed a group they dubbed "The Badasses" after being elected together that same year. Just one of those women, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., remains in the House today. Spanberger and ex-Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N. J., were both elected governor of their respective states last year. Another member, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., moved to the upper chamber of Congress. Ex-Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., lost her seat to current Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va.
CIA background and controversy
Spanberger is an eight-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency. She worked with the agency's clandestine services for a time and was an operations officer by the time she left for the private sector in 2014. During her 2018 congressional campaign, Republicans seized on Spanberger's earlier time spent teaching at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Virginia from 2002 to 2003. An article at the time included the lines: "Critics have dubbed it 'Terror High' because some students joined al-Qaeda years after graduating. Spanberger received two federal security clearances after disclosing her teaching work to the Postal Service and the CIA, which eventually sent her overseas as a covert agent fighting terrorism. "
Policy moves and local moments
Public notes tied to Spanberger's governorship include the headline that she "cuts ties with ICE in federal immigration enforcement cooperation. " She appeared at inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, where she spoke; photographer Steve Helber captured that moment. Meanwhile, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has discussed past Democratic protests against President Donald Trump and GOP policies as some Democrats weigh boycotting the State of the Union.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter leading coverage of the House of Representatives.
Spanberger's selection for the rebuttal places her squarely in the national conversation as Democrats calibrate how to compete in battleground districts and appeal to swing voters in the months ahead.
