Why we like Spanberger for Governor of Virginia

By Coleman Spencer

In today’s political climate, tribal partisanship continues to suck the oxygen out of the room, with many populist ‘leaders’ preferring to wave the party banner over the American flag. Regrettably, they have found success in doing so. This divisive status quo leaves millions of us feeling left out—those of us who would rather focus on our fundamental American-ness rather than the color of each other’s ties. A staggering 64% of voters think our political system is too divided to solve the problems facing our nation. The power to change that lies in the hands of voters, but those hands bear the great responsibility of choosing wisely. They must choose candidates who unite rather than divide. They must choose not according to political ‘teams,’ but according to their willingness to ensure the government serves the people to the best of its ability.

For Virginians, one such choice is approaching. Polls show the gap in the Virginia gubernatorial race tightening as election day approaches. Contrary to earlier predictions, Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears are setting the stage for a close contest in the only Republican-held governorship on the ballot in 2025. Abigail Spanberger, ranked among the most bipartisan members of Congress, currently leads the majority of polls, with a margin ranging from 5% to 12% over Earle-Sears.

Earle-Sears’ advertising strategy has been fairly monotonous, focusing on the tired angle of framing Spanberger as ‘woke’ and honing in on granular and vanishingly relevant gender issues. This was made agonizingly clear during Earle-Sears’ juvenile, counter-productive debate performance—one that seemed hell-bent on derailing any sort of useful exchange of ideas. Meanwhile, there is a conspicuous absence of any concrete initiatives or policy positions on her campaign website. What one can find on her website is a collection of reactionary blogs and attacks sounding the alarm over democrats’ every move. What this chest-thumping, culture-war style of opposition leaves out is the actual substance of Spanberger’s platform, i.e., the policies and stances that would be of real consequence to a majority of Virginians. These stances, which are primarily centered on affordability, government transparency, and improving public education, are readily available on Spanberger’s campaign website.

Rather than playing the partisan stone-throwing game, Spanberger appears to be running a campaign focused on moderate, proven solutions that align with a long track record of successful American values. Her government resumé includes national service as a CIA case officer and three-term U.S. representative. Her conduct as a house rep has earned her the aforementioned designation as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, which demonstrates a conviction to bridge party divides in order to get things accomplished. We believe this is perhaps the most valuable trait an elected legislator can have in our current era of tribal partisan gridlock.

Her record is clear. Spanberger helped secure Medicare’s authority to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and worked to stop pharmaceutical middlemen from gouging consumers—an effort signed into law by President Trump. She supports reforms to break through financing and zoning barriers that have fueled Virginia’s housing affordability crisis. She resolutely seeks to advance policies that would modernize the state’s workforce, make Virginia more investment- and business-friendly, and spur growth by backing the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program. She has called for expanding rural broadband and trade opportunities to ensure Virginia’s rural economies remain competitive. She spearheaded a bipartisan initiative to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, a measure aimed at tempering corruption and restoring public trust. She’s ahead of the curve in her efforts to back smart growth on data centers—encouraging investment while ensuring taxpayers aren’t stuck subsidizing private energy costs. The list of good ideas goes beyond the scope of this article.

To us, these positions show no evidence of ‘wokeness’ or radical partisanship. To us, these positions show dedication to unifying the commonwealth, protecting Virginians’ livelihoods, and making government more effective by working across the aisle. That is why we endorse Abigail Spanberger for governor—not because of her party affiliation, but because of her demonstrated willingness to work towards pragmatic, common-sense solutions for Virginia. We hope that Virginia’s voters will not be baited into falling for the rotten distraction tactics of her opponent.

Coleman Spencer covers the economy, political races, and cultural issues for the Thomas Paine Society. Read more at xxxxx.