Virginia Gov.
Spanberger, who was known for her centrist politics in the House, beat her Republican opponent by more than 15 points in Virginia’s off-year gubernatorial election last year. She’s being elevated to deliver the rebuttal as Democrats seek to build on the party’s 2025 electoral success for the upcoming midterm elections.
The 46-year-old was elected to the House in 2018 amid the backlash to Trump’s first term that gave control of the chamber to Democrats. Spanberger is a former CIA officer and has made her counterterrorism experience central to her opposition to Trump’s policies.
Spanberger ran for governor on an “Affordable Virginia Plan” aimed at reducing the cost of health care, housing and energy. She was a vocal opponent of Trump’s DOGE initiative, which resulted in mass firings at multiple government agencies and delivered a significant blow to Virginia’s workforce.
“Virginians and Americans across the country are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring,” Spanberger said in a statement.
She said she’ll use her SOTU response next Tuesday to lay out “what these Americans expect and deserve—leaders who are working hard to deliver for them.”
Earlier this month, Spanberger angered conservatives when she ordered state law enforcement agencies to exit agreements with federal immigration authorities . Other early executive orders on topics like housing affordability have led Republicans in the state to accuse her of veering left after a more moderate campaign.
Virginia is home to multiple competitive 2026 elections in the House. Democrats will try to flip districts held by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) while holding freshman Rep. Eugene Vindman’s (D-Va.) seat.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) said in a statement that Spanberger “stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who will lie, deflect and blame everyone but himself for his failed presidency on Tuesday evening.”
Jeffries touted Spanberger’s focus on affordability, which Democrats see as a likely issue to help them flip control of the House in November.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was tapped to deliver Democrats’ Spanish language response to Trump’s speech—a key role as Democrats seek to win back Latinos who drifted toward Republicans in 2024 elections. Padilla was handcuffed and formally removed from a press conference last summer as he tried to confront Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
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