Abigail Spanberger Tapped to Deliver Democratic Response After Trump’s State of the Union
Virginia governor abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic rebuttal following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday night, a platform that is expected to elevate her national profile. The choice matters now as party leaders seek speakers with battleground credibility and national security backgrounds to connect with swing voters.
Abigail Spanberger’s selection for the State of the Union rebuttal
Party officials selected Governor Abigail Spanberger to deliver the traditional Democratic response after the president’s address, placing a once-congressional lawmaker on a stage that typically defines rising national figures. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has discussed past Democratic protests and the decision to send a single rebuttal comes as some Democrats weigh boycotting the State of the Union, a debate that frames the optics of who speaks and why.
Spanberger’s 2025 victory ended Republican control in Richmond
Spanberger was elected to lead the commonwealth just last year, defeating former Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears by roughly 15 points and ending Republican control in Richmond. She delivered remarks during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, underscoring the rapid transition from a congressional profile to statewide office.
Electoral history: the 2018 blue wave and congressional beginnings
Spanberger first won national attention in the 2018 "blue wave, " when she defeated incumbent former GOP Rep. Dave Brat by about 2 percent to win a House seat. That victory made her the first woman to represent the district and the first Democrat elected there since the 1970s, establishing the battleground credentials frequently cited in explaining her selection for the rebuttal.
CIA career, teaching controversy and security clearances
Before elected office, Spanberger was an eight-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency and worked with the agency's clandestine services; she was an operations officer by the time she left for the private sector in 2014. During her 2018 campaign, Republicans highlighted her 2002–2003 teaching stint at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Virginia; critics had dubbed the school "Terror High" because some students joined al-Qaeda years after graduating. Spanberger disclosed that teaching work to the Postal Service and the CIA, received two federal security clearances, and was eventually sent overseas as a covert agent fighting terrorism.
Policy moves and the cohort known as "The Badasses"
On policy, the governor has cut ties with ICE in federal immigration enforcement cooperation, a step that has been counted among her early executive actions. Spanberger was part of a group of five Democratic women with national security backgrounds elected in 2018 who called themselves "The Badasses. " Of that group, just one—Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa. —remains in the House today. Spanberger and former Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N. J., were both elected governor of their respective states last year; Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., moved to the upper chamber of Congress; and ex-Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., lost her seat to current Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va.
What makes this notable is the combination of electoral geography and security credentials: Spanberger’s record as a former CIA operations officer and a victor in a competitive district has been used to justify placing her at the center of the party’s national message. Her profile ties concrete service and electoral wins to a strategy aimed at swing voters wary of President Trump, and the timing places that strategy on full display on the night of the State of the Union.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives.
