Democrats just handed Republicans a gift. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the party's official rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Trump speaks at 9:00 p.m. ET, and PJ Media will be liveblogging the whole thing right here.
The choice of Spanberger is either brazenly tone-deaf or a sign that Democrats genuinely don't understand the problems facing their party.
Either way, Republicans should be thrilled. Let me explain.
Earlier this month, CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, revealed polling data showing that the Democratic Party's dramatic leftward shift is alienating mainstream voters. The party's "very liberal" faction has quadrupled from 5% in 1999 to 21% today, while conservative Democrats have nearly vanished, dropping from 26% to just 8%. Meanwhile, one-third of all Democrats now identify as democratic socialists, with that number jumping to 42% among Democrats under age 35. In comparison, 58% of all voters say the party has become too liberal — up significantly from 42% in 1996.
So why does that make Spanberger a dumb choice? Because she is the latest poster child for the Democratic bait-and-switch. She ran for governor on the issue of affordability, all the while claiming to be a pragmatic moderate, a reasonable voice in a party drifting off the rails. For some reason, Virginia voters bought it. Of course, the moment she took office, the mask came off.
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Spanberger's first month as governor told voters everything they needed to know. She hit the ground running with a wave of radical executive orders and legislation through the Virginia General Assembly. Dozens of new taxes and tax increases were promptly introduced. Because, in her eyes, raising taxes makes things more affordable.
It has been nothing but hard-left governance from day one — the kind Spanberger spent years pretending she didn't believe in. The same woman who once denounced gerrymandering is literally trying to gerrymander her state to eliminate Republican seats in Congress.
Instead of reaching for someone who might soften the image of a radical leftist, Democrats handed the microphone to a governor who is not only actively proving the perception correct, but someone who literally lied about who and what she really is to get elected.
And Democrats chose this person to speak for their party on the national stage.
Naturally, the party has no idea this was a mistake.
Schumer released a statement calling Spanberger someone who "has always put service over politics," adding that she "knows Americans want lower costs, safer communities, and a stronger democracy — not chaos and corruption." Spanberger herself chimed in, saying Americans deserve "leaders who are working hard to deliver for them."
Democrats are betting that a fresh face can paper over a deeply unpopular agenda. What they're actually doing is putting a spotlight on a governor who raises taxes, protects illegal immigrants from enforcement, champions abortion without limits, and has shown contempt for conservative voters at every turn.
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